This month, Kamel Daoud, the Algerian author recently honored with France's Goncourt Prize, finds himself at the center of a legal dispute following allegations that he appropriated a woman's personal narrative for his novel, 'Houris'. The book, which chronicles the brutalities of Algeria's civil war of the 1990s—a conflict that resulted in an estimated 200,000 deaths—has sparked further controversy with claims made by Saada Arbane, a survivor of the violence.
During a broadcast on Algerian television, Arbane asserted that the novel's central character, Fajr, mirrors her own harrowing experiences. As a young girl, Arbane survived a horrific Islamist militant assault that claimed the lives of most of her family, leaving her relying on a speaking tube for communication. She contends that various aspects of Fajr's life in the book are drawn directly from the details she shared with Daoud's future wife, Aicha Dahdouh, during therapy sessions starting in 2015.
Referring to an invitation from Daoud to discuss possible collaboration, Arbane expressed her discontent, stating, “It’s my life. It’s my past. He had no right to chuck me out like that." She alleges that specific elements of Fajr's character—the speaking tube, physical scars, relationship with her mother, and her experiences of trauma and loss—are too closely related to her own life story.
In response to her claims, two lawsuits have been lodged against Daoud and Dahdouh in Algeria: one citing medical confidentiality violations and the other referencing a national reconciliation law that punishes the exploitation of trauma related to the civil war. This legislation, enacted post-conflict, aims to limit public discourse on the war’s tragedies and has contributed to the prohibition of 'Houris' in Algeria, complicating Daoud's relationship with his homeland.
Daoud, who relocated to Paris in 2020 and is now a French citizen, is a polarizing figure within Algeria, criticized by some for allegedly abandoning his country. His triumph in France has heightened tensions, especially since diplomatic relations between Algeria and France have soured amid recent political developments regarding Western Sahara.
The author has yet to publicly address the lawsuit, and despite the drama surrounding 'Houris', both he and his publisher, Antoine Gallimard, maintain that the work is entirely fictional, asserting, “Houris was certainly inspired by the tragic events which happened in Algeria… but its plot, its characters, and its heroine are purely fictional.”
The controversy further escalates as Boualel Sansal, another celebrated Algerian writer known for his criticism of the government, has reportedly gone missing after traveling to Algeria, raising concerns over potential governmental repression. With artistic freedom in jeopardy, the unfolding situation underscores the fraught relationship between Algeria, its diaspora, and ongoing struggles over identity and narrative.
