Literary censorship: Book fair opens in Algeria without Goncourt prize winner

One of the Arab world’s largest book fairs has opened in Algeria, and there is one conspicuous absence...

French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud, who won the Prix Goncourt - France’s most prestigious literary award - earlier this week, was not invited to this year’s event.

Daoud became the first author of Algerian descent to win the Goncourt prize and his French publisher Gallimard - a regular participant - are among those who were not welcomed at the Algiers International Book Fair.

Daoud’s novels and their subject matter often polarize opinions in both France, where he lives, and Algeria, where he was born. His Goncourt-winning third novel "Houris" is written from the point of view of a survivor of a massacre perpetrated by Islamists.  

The novel centers on the memories of victims of Algeria’s “Black Decade” - the civil war that pitted Islamist groups against the Algerian army from 1992 to 2002, killing between 60,000 and 200,000 people and leaving thousands more missing.

After Islamists won the first round of legislative elections in 1990, Algeria descended into civil war after the second round was canceled by the military-backed government.

“Houris” contravenes an article of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which prohibits the evocation of the ‘wounds of the national tragedy’, and will therefore not be among the more than 300,000 titles available at the book fair, which is being marketed under the slogan “Read to Triumph” and billed for having a special focus on history.

Ali Bey, the owner of Algiers’ Librarie du Tiers Monde, said he was “delighted” to see Daoud’s international recognition but lamented that Algerian readers would not be able to purchase his novels.

This exclusion reflects the ongoing limitations on freedom of expression in Algeria, and the censorship extends beyond Daoud and Gallimard.

Koukou Publishing, an independent Algerian house led by former political activist Arezki Ait Larbi, has also been excluded from this year’s festival. Koukou is known for publishing works by essayists, novelists and journalists whose writings often challenge official narratives.

“Our house is under threat of a complete ban from publishing,” Ait Larbi said, accusing the Ministry of Culture’s censors of targeting his books.

The 27th edition of Algiers International Book Fair runs from 6 to 16 November.