Rachid Mimouni
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Rachid Mimouni
Mimouni, Rachid (1945-95). Algerian writer; professor of economics in Algiers. Mimouni's short stories (La Ceinture de l'ogresse, 1990) and novels denounce the injustices and corruption of post-Independence Algeria. His first two novels, Le Printemps ne sera que plus beau (1978) and Une paix à vivre (1983), were published in Algeria. Although concerned with the unkept promises of post-revolutionary Algeria, they are mild in tone compared with his later works, all published in Paris.
Le Fleuve détourné (1982) established Mimouni's literary reputation. The novel is about a martyr of the revolution, who has been declared dead. He returns to his native village in search of the present. A victim of amnesia, he is unable to recover his identity in a corrupt and oppressive society that has diverted the ideals of the revolution. Tombéza (1984) centres on a monstrous protagonist who symbolizes, both as victim and executioner, the misery, horror, and violence of contemporary Algeria. Algerian society is paralysed not only by its past, but also by the absence of a viable political perspective. In L'Honneur de la tribu (1989) Mimouni argues that the memory of a people is only worth recovering if it is mindful of the future. Une peine à vivre (1991) is about love and power in a totalitarian state; De la barbarie en général et de l'intégrisme en particulier (1992) is a virulent pamphlet against fundamentalism in Algeria.
[<auth>Danielle Marx-Scouras]
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| Rachid Mimouni | |
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| Born | November 20, 1945 Boudouaou (Alma), Algeria |
| Died | February 12, 1995 (aged 49) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Writer |
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Rachid Mimouni (In Arabic:رشيد ميموني) (November 20, 1945 – February 12, 1995) was an Algerian writer, teacher and human rights activist.
Mimouni studied science at the University of Algiers before becoming a teacher at the École supérieure du commerce (business school) in Algiers. He was president of the Kateb Yacine foundation and he also held the position of vice-president at Amnesty International. He fled Algeria for France in 1993 to escape the civil war and the assassinations of intellectuals. He died in Paris in 1995 of hepatitis.
Mimouni wrote novels describing Algerian society in a realist style.
Works
- « Le printemps n'en sera que plus beau » (1978)
- « Le Fleuve détourné » (1982)
- « Une paix à vivre » (1983)
- « Tombéza » (1984)
- « L'Honneur de la tribu » (1989)
- « La ceinture de l'ogresse » (1990)
- « Une peine à vivre » (1991)
- « De la barbarie en général et de l'intégrisme en particulier » (1992)
- « La Malédiction » (1993)
Literary Awards
- Prix de l'Amitié Franco-Arabe (Fraco-Arab Friendship Award) for « L'honneur de la tribu » (1990)
- Prix de la critique littéraire : Ruban de la francophonie (Literary Critics Award, best Francophone novel) for « L'honneur de la tribu » (1990)
- Prix de littérature-cinéma du festival international du film à Cannes (Cannes Film Festival Film-Literature Award) for « L'honneur de la tribu » (1990)
- Prix de l'Académie française (Académie française Award) for « La ceinture de l'ogresse » (1991)
- Prix Hassan II des Quatre Jurys (Hassan II Four Juries Award ) for his complete works (1992)
- Prix Albert Camus (Albert Camus Award) for « Une peine à vivre et De la barbarie en général et de l’intégrisme en particulier » (1993)
- Prix du Levant (Levant Award) for « La malédiction » (1993)
- Prix Liberté Littéraire (Literary Freedom Award) for « La malédiction » (1994)
- Prix spécial Grand Atlas (Special Grand Atlas Award) for his complete works (1995)
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Oxford Companion to French Literature
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French. Copyright © 1995, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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