An Algerian Childhood: A Collection of Autobiographical Narratives

This unique anthology probes deeply into the diverse experiences of French and native Algerian male and female rich and poor Muslim Jewish and Christian people who through their writing congregate here to recount personal tales of growing up in this region in North Africa experiences that bind them as humans. Through literature Sebbar deftly cultivates an imaginary landscape that does not yet exist within Algeria: a public ground based upon reconciliation and respect for differences. In "Bare Feet " famed writer Hlne Cixous recounts when at the tender age of seven an encounter with a young shoeshine boy made her acutely aware of the harsh realities of her own class standing. And in "The Lost Child " Albert Bensoussan reaches back to the remarkable day when preparing for Rosh Hashanah he was befriended by a young Muslim girl only to have their relationship inexplicably severed a few short years later. These sixteen stories wrought with youthful exuberance and a passion for place reflect how ethnic religious and socioeconomic backgrounds greatly shape lifelong values and perceptions. Leila Sebbar was born in Algeria to an Algerian father and a French mother and has published numerous essays short stories and novels including the Shrazade trilogyand Silence on the Shores. She is currently a teacher in Paris and has worked on diverse literary and French cultural reviews. Malek Alloula Jamel Eddine Bencheikh Albert Bensoussan Hlne Cixous Annie Cohen Roger Dadoun Jean Daniel Mohammed Dib Nabile Fars Fatima Gallaire Mohamed Kacimi-El-Hassani Jean-Pierre Millecam Jean Plgri Lela Sebbar Habib Tengour Alain Vircondelet