About
Boualem Sansal, born October 15, 1949, in Théniet El Had, is an Algerian-born French writer. Trained as an engineer, he held senior positions in the Algerian Ministry of Industry before being dismissed in 2003 for his critical stance. He began his literary career at age 50 with Le Serment des barbares (1999), which won several prizes. His work, marked by dystopia and political critique, earned him the German Book Trade Peace Prize in 2011 and the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 2015. Arrested in 2024 and sentenced in 2025, he was pardoned and released in November 2025. He received the Cino Del Duca World Prize in 2025 and was elected to the Académie française in 2026.
* 1949-10-15
Major works
- Le Serment des barbares (1999)novel
- Le Village de l'Allemand (2008)novel
- Rue Darwin (2011)novel
- 2084 : la fin du monde (2015)novel
Key milestones
- 2011Awarded the German Book Trade Peace Prize.
- 2025Sentenced to five years in prison, then pardoned and released in November.
- 2026Elected to the Académie française.
Themes
DystopiaPolitical critiqueFreedom of expressionIdentityHistory
Sources: institutdefrance.fr · pen-international.org · auswaertiges-amt.de