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Algerian Childhood

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.

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 225
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781886913493
  • Genres
  • algeria, africa, fiction
  • Release date
  • 2001