Assia Djebar

Who is Assia Djebar?

Assia Djebar, the pen name of Fatima-Zohra Imalayen, was an Algerian novelist, translator, and filmmaker widely regarded as one of the most important writers of the Maghreb. Born in Cherchell, Algeria, she became in 1955 the first Algerian and Muslim woman admitted to the elite Ecole Normale Superieure in France. She adopted her pen name for her debut novel, "La Soif" ("The Thirst"), published in 1957 during the Algerian War of Independence. Across a body of work spanning novels, short stories, poetry, and film, she explored the lives of Algerian women, the legacy of French colonialism, and the layered history of North Africa, blending autobiography, oral history, and fiction; major works include "L'Amour, la fantasia" (1985) and "Ombre sultane" (1987). She also directed acclaimed films, including "La Nouba des femmes du Mont Chenoua" (1978), which won a prize at the Venice Film Festival. In 2005, she became the first writer from the Maghreb, and only the fifth woman, elected to the Academie francaise, France's foremost literary institution. She taught for years at universities in the United States, including New York University, before her death in Paris in 2015.

Sources: Britannica, "Assia Djebar" · Assia Djebar, LAmour, la fantasia (1985) · Academie francaise, official biography