The 鈥榁oltaire of the Arabs鈥� is lionized in France, but imprisoned in Algeria
| PARIS
A renowned Franco-Algerian writer鈥檚 detention in Algeria has cast in stark relief the challenges that France faces in protecting writers who criticize Islam and authoritarian governments.
The Nov. 16 arrest of Boualem Sansal, who some call 鈥渢he Voltaire of the Arab people,鈥� points to the limits of France鈥檚 leverage with its former colony, as French officials seek Mr. Sansal鈥檚 release.
France has long held up its literary tradition as a space where freedom of expression can thrive. But Mr. Sansal鈥檚 arrest has shown that its protections can only go so far, especially for Franco-Algerian writers who carry the weight of the two countries鈥� complex, 132-year-long colonial past.
Why We Wrote This
France鈥檚 support of free speech has made it a refuge for writers. But the country鈥檚 colonial history often stands in the way of protecting those writers from persecution by authoritarian governments.
鈥淔ive generations of Algerians have felt ignored, marginalized, and dominated by European powers,鈥� says Alain Ruscio, a historian and specialist in French colonization. 鈥淭he Algerian government uses that collective memory and pain to exert power over its people. In the case of Sansal, he may have extreme ideas, but you don鈥檛 put someone in prison for ideas.鈥�
Mr. Sansal is best known in France for his 2015 dystopic novel, 鈥�2084: The End of the World,鈥� a postapocalyptic, Orwellian look at a world under the control of a religious totalitarian regime. He has won several of France鈥檚 top literary prizes. He has been an open critic of Algeria鈥檚 authoritarian government.
At 80 years old and in ill-health, Mr. Sansal risks not only life imprisonment, but also becoming one of around 200 political prisoners currently held in Algeria.
The French government was quick to urge Mr. Sansal鈥檚 release (he holds dual French and Algerian citizenship), and the prestigious Acad茅mie Fran莽aise considered inducting him into their ranks as a show of solidarity. But Mr. Sansal鈥檚 arrest comes at a time when Franco-Algerian relations are particularly fraught. Despite mobilization among French intellectuals, his future remains uncertain. On Dec. 11, an Algerian appeals court rejected a plea to free Mr. Sansal.
France as literary haven
Since long before Mr. Sansal鈥檚 arrest, France has served as a refuge for writers who struggled to find freedom in their home countries. American James Baldwin (鈥淕iovanni鈥檚 Room鈥�), Czech writer Milan Kundera (鈥淭he Unbearable Lightness of Being鈥�) and Iranian author Marjane Satrapi (鈥淧ersepolis鈥�) are just some of the writers who have made France their literary safe haven.
Mr. Sansal had found intellectual shelter in France, as his native Algeria (where he and his family live) became increasingly oppressive toward its literary class. His book, 鈥�2084: The End of the World,鈥� won the prestigious Acad茅mie Fran莽aise鈥檚 top prize in 2015, and he has been a mainstay on the French literary conference circuit.
鈥淎lgeria has seen its literary space narrow enormously or completely removed. There is no room for freedom of expression,鈥� says Mounira Chatti, a professor of Francophone and post-colonial literature at the Universit茅 Bordeaux, Montaigne. 鈥淢eanwhile, this space is always open and available in France. Boualem Sansal represents this fantasy of the grand intellectual figure.鈥�
But Mr. Sansal has long used his pen as a sword, criticizing Algeria鈥檚 authoritarian leadership, radical Islam, and religious ideology.
In France, his critique of Islam and Israel have pegged him as Islamophobic and anti-Zionist among some left-wing intellectuals, who say his political views veer toward those of Marine Le Pen and the far right.
In October, during an interview with French right-wing media Fronti猫res, Mr. Sansal declared that Western Algeria was part of Morocco during the French colonial era, casting doubt over the borders of Algerian territory.
Later that month, French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed his support for the Western Sahara to be under Moroccan sovereignty. The territory is currently partly controlled by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front and has been at the heart of a decades-long dispute.
Mr. Macron鈥檚 comments put a strain on already tense relations between France and Algeria, which are still recovering from Algeria鈥檚 cutting of diplomatic ties with France in 2021. That has made Mr. Sansal, who touched down on Algerian soil in November, the perfect target, says longtime friend Xavier Driencourt, a former French ambassador to Algeria.
鈥淏oualem Sansal writes and publishes in French, has French nationality, and is critical of his home country,鈥� says Mr. Driencourt. For some Algerians, 鈥淪ansal is seen as participating in a conspiracy between France, Morocco, and Israel against Algeria.鈥�
So, even if France may have a vested interest in defending Mr. Sansal, observers say any outward intervention could backfire.
鈥淔rance should defend its citizen, of course, but it must do so discreetly and perhaps by way of an intermediary, like Germany, Switzerland, or Qatar,鈥� says Bruno P茅quignot, a sociologist and professor emeritus of arts and culture at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris. 鈥淚f France defends Sansal too explicitly, it鈥檚 more proof to Algeria that he鈥檚 a traitor.鈥�
Criticism from the left and right
Mr. Sansal鈥檚 extreme views about Islam have cost him support not only in Algeria but also in France. Several French commentators have justified his arrest based on his political beliefs, and while outspoken Green party MP Sandrine Rousseau denounced his imprisonment, she has also said that Mr. Sansal is 鈥渘ot an angel.鈥�
This double standard has frustrated members of France鈥檚 Franco-Algerian literary circle. Kamel Daoud, Mr. Sansal鈥檚 friend and the first Algerian to win France鈥檚 prestigious 2024 Prix Goncourt for 鈥淗ouris,鈥� told French radio in early December, 鈥渋f you talk about Islam, you鈥檙e Islamophobic. If you criticize your home country, you鈥檙e against migration. In Algeria, we鈥檙e accused of being too French and in France, we鈥檙e not 鈥榞ood Arabs.鈥欌��
Mr. Daoud has also clashed with the Algerian government, which has accused him of stealing the personal story of a patient of his psychiatrist wife for 鈥淗ouris.鈥�
Still, France鈥檚 literary and intellectual community 鈥� despite being largely left-wing 鈥� has rallied in support of Mr. Sansal. His publisher, 脡ditions Gallimard, launched a crowdsourcing fundraiser on Dec. 2 for his legal fees, and some 30 French writers who have won the Acad茅mie Fran莽aise鈥檚 Grand Prix for fiction published an open letter calling for his release.
On Dec. 16, a 700-member committee created in Mr. Sansal鈥檚 honor organized a special event to remind the public of the importance of freedom of expression 鈥� a highly-prized French value. Organizers said the biggest risk for Mr. Sansal now is that his case will slide into the realm of indifference.
鈥淭he message I want to send Boualem Sansal is: We don鈥檛 know how long this nightmare will last,鈥� said Fran莽ois Zimeray, Mr Sansal鈥檚 lawyer, to a packed theater of the writer鈥檚 supporters. 鈥淏ut until he gets out, we鈥檒l be by his side.鈥�
