L'Amour, la fantasia – Assia Djebar

Posted on 25th February 2013 by admin

Assia Djebar intertwines the history of her native Algeria with episodes from the life of a young girl in a story stretching from the French conquest in 1830 to the War of Liberation of the 1950s. The girl, growing up in the old Roman coastal town of Cherchel, sees her life in contrast to that of a neighboring French family, and yearns for more than law and tradition allow her to experience. Headstrong and passionate, she escapes from the cloistered life of her family to join her brother in the maquis’ fight against French domination. Assia Djebar brings to life the experiences of girls and women caught up in the dual struggle for independence – both their own and Algeria’s. (From Goodreads)

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One Response to L'Amour, la fantasia – Assia Djebar

  1. Chris Ratcliffe says:
    21st April 2013 at 3:52 pm

    The book interspersed the history of the Algerian people in their fights against France, especially the 1830 invasion and the liberation war of the 1950s and 1960s, with personal vignettes of the author and other women who lived through these times. While it was often poetical and thoughtful, it was a tough book to read. Maybe if my French was as good as my English, I could have appreciated it more. Not just difficult French vocabulary but also Arabic and Berber vocabulary which weren’t familiar. And maybe, if she had so chosen, Assia Djebar could have given us more help in being able to follow some of the narrative. Using Google and Wikipedia I was able to make sense of most of it.

    While reading it, there was a danger of me finishing the book and thinking “Why did I bother?” but I didn’t. Upon completing the book I thought about all she recounted and how pleased I am that I persevered. It wasn’t a conventional novel or history. It was pieces, reflections and some well researched information about a subject many of us in the UK know little. The few Algerians I have met I have liked and because the country is not really open to western tourism, it has a certain mystery and appeal even. About three or so years ago, I read Ce que le jour doit à la nuit by Yasmina Khadra. That was a completely different story of Algeria, albeit one which also included quite a bit of history of 20th century Algeria. But it made me very interested in the country. I especially liked how Yasmina Khadra described the appeal of the small town of Rio Salade. And of course the other book that we have read which is relevant is L’art français de la guerre by Alexis Jenni which also intersperses personal vignettes with accounts of war. While Assia Djebar’s book is very much from the female perspective, Alex Jenni’s is most definitely from the traditional male viewpoint.

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