Contemporary Arabophone and Francophone Algerian Literature and Its National and Transnational Conditions of Production
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1 Power and Publishing: Contemporary Arabophone and Francophone Algerian Literature and its National and Transnational Conditions of Production by Miss Karima Bentoumi A Thesis Submitted to the University of Portsmouth In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY April 2020 2 Abstract This thesis explores the relationship between Algerian fiction writing and its conditions of production. It examines how these conditions of production shape both literary careers and novels’ thematic concerns. It assesses the possibilities and limitations of the existence of an “Algerian literary field” within a transnational context in which Algeria is an economically minor cultural player. The evolution of the relationship between art and the market is studied across the longue durée – i.e. since the first Algerian novels were published at the start of the twentieth century to the present day. Particular attention is paid to a new generation of Algerian authors – mostly in their late 30s – writing today, whom have hitherto not been the subject of academic study. This is alongside the analysis of the careers and work of internationally well-known contemporary authors Kamel Daoud, Yasmina Khadra, Boualem Sansal, Waciny Laredj and Ahlam Mosteghanemi, who owe part of their success to the creation of literary personas, and notably the persona of the post- colonial “translator” of Algeria to non-Algerian audiences. The majority of existing academic studies focus on Francophone fiction publishing. Arabic-language fiction and publishing has tended to be understudied. This thesis brings together the study of Arabic-language literature with that of French-language literature to offer a more complete study of the Algerian publishing scene. It argues that the existing scholarly literature has been overoptimistic about the margins of manoeuvre of Algerian writers, both in Arabic and French, to escape or subvert the thematic (and aesthetic) expectations of publishing houses and the power of transnational (notably French and Middle Eastern) networks over Algerian publishing houses. The fact that French-language authors tend to gravitate towards Paris and Arabic-language authors towards Sharjah or Beirut also reinforces the distinction between “Arabophone” and “Francophone” Algerian literatures. Yet at the same time, contemporary Algerian authors and publishers are increasingly seeing themselves as part of one field: whilst a new generation of authors returns to the work of previous generations for inspiration, regardless of language of expression, an 3 increasingly monolingual, younger reading public is creating a market for the translation of classics of Francophone Algerian literature into Arabic. One of the contributions to knowledge of this PhD is the production of new empirical material about publishing in Algeria, and notably a range of interviews with owners and senior employees of Algerian private publishing houses (Chihab, Casbah, Barzakh, Apic, Frantz Fanon, Fassila, Ibn Al Chatie, El-Ikhtlief, El Almaia, Dar El Izza wa El Karama, Tafat, NECIB, El Mothakaff and El-Hibr), book shop owners and younger authors (Sofiane Mokhenache, Abdelouahab Aissaoui, Miloud Yabrir, Riadh Hadir, Saïd Khatibi, Rafik Taibi, Ryad Girod, Smail Yabrir, Samir Kacimi, Mohammed Djafar, Alloua Koussa, Abdellatif Ould Abdellah, Amal Bouchareb and Djamila Morani). 4 Declaration Whilst registered as a candidate for the above degree, I have not been registered for any other research award. The results and conclusions embodied in this thesis are the work of the named candidate and have not been submitted for any other academic award. 5 Dedication To the woman who did not had the chance for education but always stood for the education of women, To the Memory of my Mother 6 Acknowledgements First, a huge thanks goes to my supervisor, Dr. Natalya Vince for her unconditional support, her skills, and above all in believing in me during this journey. She patiently encouraged me to complete this study with her constructive feedback and guidance. I am deeply grateful to have Dr. Natalya Vince as my first supervisor. I see in her the role of model for being a serious and hard-working supervisor. I would like to thank Dr. Christine Berberich and Dr. Olivia Rutazibwa for their assistance. A huge thanks goes to my father, and my sister Aisha for all the trust they put in me. I would like to extend my appreciation and thanks for my beloved sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews for their encouragement. A special thanks also goes to my best friends Zeyneb, Zara, and Sarra. 7 Dissemination 7 and 8 September 2017, “A Snapshot of the conditions of production of some contemporary Algerian novels written in French and Arabic: Languages, Themes and Production”, paper presented at an international conference on Rupture, Repression, and Repetition? The Algerian War of Independence in the Present, University of Leeds. 26 and 29 August 2019, selected to attend an international summer school on Concurrences and Connections: From Colonial Mobilities to Postcolonial Borders at the Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies, Sweden. Presented a paper entitled “Becoming a transnational Algerian literary celebrity: a case study of Kamel Daoud” 5 and 6 September 2019, selected to present a paper entitled “Programmed Success: a case study of Yasmina Khadra” at the international conference Intellectuals Across Borders: Writers, Artists, Activists, organised by Münster University, Germany, in cooperation with the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Published article in a special issue of the Journal of African Literature Association dedicated to North Africa. Title: Rethinking the Algerian publishing “boom”: perspectives of authors, booksellers, and publishers on transnational networks and local infrastructure. 8 Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 2 Dedication .................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 6 Dissemination ............................................................................................................... 7 Contents ....................................................................................................................... 8 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. 12 Note on Transliteration and Translation .................................................................. 14 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 15 Theoretical and conceptual framework ............................................................................ 18 Research questions ............................................................................................................ 23 Sources and methods ........................................................................................................ 24 Positionality within my research ....................................................................................... 26 Organisation of the chapters: ............................................................................................ 29 Chapter 1: Finding spaces of expression between colonial domination and post- colonial censorship: language, themes and audiences ...................................... 29 Chapter 2: Shrinking spaces of expression in Algeria and the return to the real: Explaining the civil violence of the 1990s to different international readerships ............................................................................................................................ 29 Chapter 3: New independent publishing houses after 2000: finally, an Algerian literary field or the persistence of dependency? ............................................... 30 Chapter 4: Becoming a transnational Algerian literary celebrity ....................... 31 Chapter 5: Rising Stars or Struggling Artists? ..................................................... 31 Chapter One: Finding spaces of expression between colonial domination and post- colonial censorship: language, themes, and audiences ............................................ 33 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 33 The impact of colonial rule on Algerian literacy and literary production ........................ 33 Mimetic Literature in the 1920s ........................................................................................ 38 The Colonial Gaze and the Algerianist Literature ............................................................. 40 L’ École d’ Alger .................................................................................................................. 42 The “recovery of Algerian identity” through literary production in Arabic .................... 43 9 Torn between Two Cultures .............................................................................................. 45 The introduction of the Arabic novel ................................................................................ 46 The Algerian novel of 1950s: la littérature engagée .........................................................