The Algerian Novel from 1990 to the Present Day

Over the past two decades, there has been a veritable boom in novel-writing in Algeria. Many writers have emerged and continue to turn to writing. This generation has witnessed the unfolding of historical facts and events that form the backdrop against which the narrative is woven. During the 1990s, the outburst of violence gave rise to numerous works that flooded the Algerian literary scene. They sought to convey the horror and the unspeakable. These so-called ‘emergency’ texts gave way to a ‘post-emergency’ period. The 2000s saw the emergence on the literary scene of fictional works whose narrative concerns adapt to the events and facts of historical reference. In recent times, Algerian novelists have varied their generic forms and modes, their narrative techniques and writing styles, all of which are shaped by the socio-historical context of production that gives them birth and meaning. This exploration of novel-writing highlights the possibilities of its expression whilst raising questions about writing that are rooted more than ever in the life of Algerian society and its history. Fictional works are forged through an exploration of novelistic techniques that draw inspiration from both the immediate context and the universal literary heritage.