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Showing posts from July, 2012

The Chrysalis by Aïcha Lemsine

The Chrysalis   is a novel by Algerian novelist Aïcha Lemsine. The English version was translated from the French   La Chrysalide   by Dorothy S. Blair who has done a splendid job, at no point did I sense this was a translation apart from the use of "old chum" that I cannot imagine any North African using in English to convey something like   mon cher .  It was published in 1976 in French by Editions des femmes and picked up by Quartet books who published it in English in 1993. In the English version, the book opens with an Introdution penned by the author dated 1993, at a time when the situation had seriously deteriorated in Algeria.  In this intro, Lemsine has an amusing little rant: "Exposing the archaic condition of women at the time of Socialism in Algeria was not without risk... In fact, while readers and critics in Tunisia, Morocco and Europe were almost unanimous in their enthusiastic welcome of the Chrysalis, in Algeria the book was banned and su

Ramadan Kareem

Happy Ramadan to everyone, ♥ Ramadan Kareem ♥ Ramadan Mubarak ♥ Saha Ramdankum ♥ Have a blessed month.

Djamal Amrani - Algerian Poet

" Ombre Absurde in Days colour of the sun ( Jours coleur de soleil ) OMBRE ABSURDE acharnée à ma masturbation ma mort mon suicide détramé. Débris de moi Débris de rien Debout sur mon cadavre JE VOUS SALUE fascinantes morgues de mon delirium QU'ON M'EMPILE après tout qu'on change les DRAPS. QU'IL NE DEMEURE en moi que la trace de ton CORPS." *** Algerian poet Djamal Amrani was born in 1935, in Sour-El-Ghozlane , and passed away in 2005.  He wrote in French and published 16 poetry collections, one novel and one theatre play.  He participated in the struggle against France during the war of independence, and in the Battle of Algiers in 1957 - he was caught and tortured for a month. He was then released and sent in exile in Paris.  When independence was won, the Algerian government mandated him to be Algeria's ambassador in Cuba.  His first book The Witness was published in 1960.  In 2004, he was awarded

Safia Ketou - The Mauve Planet

"- Why should I change? My personality does not vary according to my residence." "- As for me, I adapt to all environments." The Mauve Planet by Safia Ketou Safia Ketou (of her real name Zohra Rabhi) is an Algerian short-story writer who wrote in French. She was born in 1944, in  Aïn-Séfra . From 1962 to 1969 she was a primary school teacher in Aïn-Séfra and then moved to Algiers where she worked as a journalist for several daily newspapers like APS, Horizon, Algérie Actualité. She committed suicide in 1989 and was buried at the cemetry of Sidi Boudjemaa, in Aïn-Séfra. In Algeria, a literary group and NGO bears her name .    Safia Ketou wrote short stories, and children story books.  She published a collection of poetry, Citar Friend  ( Amie Cithare ) in 1979, and a play called Asma.  Her short story collection The Mauve Planet  ( La Planète Mauve   et Autres Nouvelles ) was published in 1983. Safia Ketou is probably the first contemporary A