About
Mohammed Dib, born in Tlemcen in 1920, is a major figure of Algerian literature in French. His first novel, La Grande Maison (1952), opens a naturalist trilogy on colonial misery. Expelled from Algeria in 1959 for his support of independence, he settled in France. His work evolves from social realism to myth and symbolism, exploring the war of independence and exile. He taught at UCLA and the Sorbonne, and received the Grand Prix de la Francophonie in 1994. He died in 2003 in La Celle-Saint-Cloud.
* 1920-07-21 — † 2003-05-02
Major works
- La Grande Maison (1952)novel
- L'Incendie (1954)novel
- Le Métier à tisser (1957)novel
- Qui se souvient de la mer (1962)novel
- L'Enfant-jazz (1998)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1953Awarded the Prix Fénéon for La Grande Maison.
- 1959Expelled from Algeria by the French colonial authorities.
- 1994First Maghreb author to receive the Grand Prix de la Francophonie from the Académie française.
Themes
colonizationindependenceexilememoryidentity
Sources: britannica.com · nytimes.com · britishmuseum.org