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 Shérazade 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