The War of National Liberation and the Novel in Algeria

The War of National Liberation and the Novel in Algeria Ammaria Lanasri ALGERIAN LITERATURE originally written in French rather than Arabic owes its existence to the political phenomenon of colonialism , and was consequently "genetically" predetermined by ideological factors. Compelled to bear the evidence of historical processes (mainly political and ideological) and regarded as a contribution to national resistance, political freedom and cultural identity, Algerian fiction could not but commit itself to History and obviously could not ignore one of its contemporary landmarks : the war of national liberation. The theme of armed struggle is omnipresent in Algerian writing, and its longevity enables us today to assess its evolution throughout the years. Given the context within which Algerian writing has evolved, it is important to go beyond conventional analysis and take into account its closely interrelated socio-historical background in order to fully understand the genre. Broadly speaking, our analysis will be divided into three sections: the period of resistance (until Independence), that of commemoration (after Independence ) and finally that of disenchantment (from the 1970s onwards). These periods sometimes "overlap" as a response to writers' needs, the place of publication (France or Algeria) and inevitably the ideology of the moment. The period of resistance: The literature of this period did not wait for the beginning of hostilities to emerge. Earlier, some writers took up their pens to express their bitterness and anger over the conditions of people's lives which could be attributed to colonial rule. A nationalist discourse is already present in the trilogy Algérie1 of Mohammed Dib and Nedjma2 by Kateb Yacine. War is mentioned in La Grande Maison by Mohammed Dib. The native schoolteacher of Omar, the protagonist of the novel, never misses an opportunity to sow in the minds of his Muslim pupils the seeds of future awareness. Speaking about the notion of patrie in one of his lessons, he warns them to differentiate it from that of the official curriculum: "ça n'est pas vrai, fit-il, si on vous dit que la France est votre patrie" (23), and blames the colonizers publicly : "Quand de l'extérieur viennent des étrangers qui prétendent être des maîtres, la patrie est en danger. Ces étrangers sont des ennemis contre lesquels toute la population doit défendre la patrie menacée. Il est alors question de guerre" (22). The history of literature kept the premonitory image of L'In58 Winter 2001 Lanasri cendie, which metaphorically referred to revolution. In L'Incendie we read: "Un incendie avait été allumé, et jamais plus il ne s'éteindrait. Il continuerait à ramper à l'aveuglette, secret, souterrain; ses flammes sanglantes n'auraient de cesse qu'elles n'aient jeté sur tout le pays leur sinistre éclat" (130). Six months after its publication, on 1 November 1954, these prophetic lines materialized with the outbreak of the National War of Liberation. Yet, when the long-awaited revolution came, the Algerian novelist found himself restrained by events. Tom between his dedication to advocating his nation's political demands and the startling importance of the conflagration of armed struggle, he could not detach himself from the atrocious scenes of war and thus generally stood aloof. However, the inhibition many Algerian novelists felt in the first years of the revolution may find its cause in the nature of fiction itself. To give moral direction and vision to the struggle his country was plunged in the artist in his writing felt the need to "stay outside the battle," to distance himself emotionally and spatially from the situation he described in order to retain his objectivity and credibility. While fully committed politically to the struggle, he refrained from being directly involved. It was not until 1958 that the theme of the Algerian war was introduced into fiction by Malek Haddad in La Dernière Impression3, which was immediately banned. Général Massu described the book as belonging to "des écrits considérés comme étant de nature à nuire au rétablissement de l'Ordre et à la Sauvegarde du territoire de l'Algérie."4 The story deals with an Algerian engineer who loves a French woman, but the war of liberation brings with it misfortune , death and destruction...