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 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
 WorldCat |
| Title: | Freedom of expression and the Algerian Arabic novel |
| Author: | Abu-Haidar, Farida |
| Year: | 1993 |
| Periodical: | Maghreb Review |
| Volume: | 18 |
| Issue: | 1-2 |
| Pages: | 70-77 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Algeria |
| Subjects: | literature Arabic language novels |
| Abstract: | Censorship and freedom of expression have often failed to silence those intent on making themselves heard. In Algeria a repressive wave of colonial assimilationist rule inspired the first stirrings of Arabic creative prose writing. Undaunted by the official policy which sought to introduce French into most spheres of public life, a small group of intellectuals struggled to keep Arabic alive. In 1925, they founded two Arabic-language periodicals, 'Al Muntaqid' and 'Al Shihab'. In the early decades of this century, creative writing to most Arabs meant poetry. In spite of a few attempts at novel writing, and the publication of some long short stories, the Arabic novel proper did not emerge in Algeria until the early seventies. 'Rih al-Janub' (1971), by Abdelhamid Benhedouga, is considered to be the first major Algerian Arabic novel. Together with Tahar Wattar, Benhedouga placed the Algerian novel firmly on the map of Arabic fiction writing. By the eighties a number of other novelists had emerged, producing new styles and developing different techniques. Rachid Boudjedra can be credited with being the first writer to introduce into his novels long passages in Algerian Arabic. The fact remains that the Algerian Arabic novel is little known outside the Maghreb. Note, ref. |
