The richness, the diversity and the complexity of the Algerian literary and artistic movements give the giddiness to those which are unaware of the evolution of an exceptional people.
It is about a vast "cultural ocean", in turn, tumultuous or calms, faithful or revolted, unchained silencer then. Whereas it is believed extenuated and failing, the culture currently reappears of its ashes.
As of independence, a new cultural elite emerged in many fields, Algeria continues like a dynamic hearth of creation, its cinema, its literature, its musics to leave it to these principal fields, know a national and sometimes international diffusion. Some artworks have a certain repercussion: Lakdhar-Hamina receives the gold palm in Cannes for the "Chronicle of The Years of Ember", Assai Djebar and Mohamed Dib takes seat among the Nobel price authors.
The last decade was marked by the introduction of political pluralism, the release of the expression, the right of association, which will allow in cultural expansion without precedent in spite of the terrorist violence of a religious extremism whose first targets were the intellectuals, the artists and the journalists who have courage to be opposed to a project of antiquated retrogressed society and which threatened the bases of the State Republic. In 1993 Youcef Sebti and Tahar Djaout are victims of terrorist attacks which will strike the public opinion.
Today, after these years of suffering, the cultural expression knows a remarkable vitality. It extends from the most hermetic forms to the freest writings, of poetry to the novel of the language of Mutanabbi to that of Voltaire, of dialectal with the Berber one. Even the Algerian detective novel style makes fury during the dark time of the country, with Yasmina Khadra, for example, which will be illustrated later by works of a very high literary invoice such as "the writer" and "the imposture of the words".
Poetry, literary expression Arab quintessential, does not cease being the mirror of the Algerian heart: initially nationalist "Silah" before and after the second world war, it will galvanize the nationalist movement to yield the place a modern literary changing in the line of the universalization which the culture knows.
1. Retrospective: From the Reformism to the Modernism
At the beginning of the 20th century, when the written Arab language was allowed only in Zaouis, it was rare to see a writer publishing a test, a poem or a news. The first anthology of the Algerian poetry of Arab language was not published until 1926.
It is necessary to wait the Thirties to see the association of Oulémas under the direction of the sheik Abdelhamid then El Bachir El Ibrahimi, to launch re-examined "the Echilal" and "El Bassair" which will play has through their writings an essential role in the combat for the safeguard of the culture and the identity main roads. These reviews will also be used as spaces of expression to poets, such as Mohamed Laid El khelifah, Tayeb El Okbi, Ahmed Ghoualmi and Mohamed Salah Ramdane.
As for Rédha Houhou, it passes to be the first author to be famous while being essential of the Algerian literature of Arab language another form of expression that that of poetry, the news or the chronicle.
After the second world war, Algerian literary creation adopts a rhythm much sharper. Thus, one notices writings more picturesque such "Types human", "in company of the ass of Hakim", Rédha Houhou, "the Heartfelt cry" of Ahbib Bennassi, or the poetic products of Rabi Bouchama and Rédha El Aggoun.
Climatic poetry is symbolized by moufdi Zakaria, which is the carry-torch of the Revolution. Nevertheless, three poets, Abdelkacem Saadallah Cheriet and Aboulkacem Khemmer, will give to free poetry a liberator breath .
The works, marked by an effort of imagination, translate the evanescent substance things in impressions provided by the Revolution.
1959 should be waited until to read the first news of Abdellah Rekibi, Othmane Saadi El Abdelhamid Benhadouga, followed later about 1960 by that of Tahar Ouetter, Z' hor Oumissi and Aboulaid Doudou.
Among these short story writers, three of them (Ouetter, Oumissi and Benhadouga) will continue to publish in the Sixties, followed by Merzak Bagtache. This young short story writer will give to the art of the Algerian news in Arab language a new breath. The novel will see its true moult only in 1971, when Abdelhamid Benhadouga published its famous "Wind of the Romance South", of a modern form, which apprehends contemporary realities as of the Algerian company of the time.
In 1974, Tahar Ouettar publishes "the Ace", an upsetting novel which raises on part of the tears which enamelled the war of liberation.
The year 1975 will see the blossoming of Merzak Bagtache. It publishes, "the birds of the Zenith", a Work close to the new French novel by its optical descriptions and monologues. The Seventies will devote other short story writers, like Amer Belahcene (1953- 1994), Laid Benarous, Djilabi, Khellas, Chérif Ladra, Abdelhamidabdous, Ahmed Mennour, Abdelhid Bourayou, Mohamed Mellah, Mostefa Fad, Laadrej Waciny, Abdellaziz Bouchefirat and Mr. S. Harzallah. In poetry, it is necessary to await the middle of decade 70 to see to affirm Abdellali Rezzagui, Ahmed Hamdi, Slimane Djouadi, Mohamed Zettili, Azradj Omar, Zeineb, Laaredj, Rabia Djelti and Mohamed Hassan, Akila in particular.
With the opening of the edition, on the initiative private at the beginning of the Eighties, some short story writers are test in the novel, such Laaredj Waciny, Laaredj Zeineb, Wali Khellers, Mohamed, Ali Ar'ar, Mohamed Mefta, and other Ismail Ghamoukat and Habob Sayah. Their novels bring a new breath to the Algerian literature of Arab language.
Poetry also grew rich with other names, such Lakhdar Feilous, Amar Merieche, Othmane Loucif, Aboubakr Zemmal and Naara M’ Hammedi. As for the news, it did not remain with the drag, it gave birth to, at the beginning of the Nineties, Bachir Mefti, Yasmina Salah, Hamama El-Amari, Allal Sengouga. Hamid Abdelkader and Didani Arezki. Today, with a certain office plurality of works of good quality, the Algerian literature of the Arab language does not have anything to envy has to that of Machrek, or even to the universal literature of which it draws the modern forms and technologies.
Such sign that Algerian, Ahlam Mostghanemi, goes, as of the Nineties, to revolutionize the modern Arab literature, by publishing novels of a realism such as it breaks all the taboos maintained in the Arab world. Its works, in particular "memory of the flesh" (Dhakinet El Djssad), price Naguib Mahfouz, translated into French (Albin Michel) testify to the vitality of the young Algerian literature of Arab expression.
The revival of the Algerian theatre appears, beyond certain traditional taboos. Many plays are performed by the same authors in classical Arabic, in dialectal or in French (Theatre of Slimane Benaissa, Cherif Ayad, Sonia or Boudjdra).
The Algerian literature production of French expression is of an exceptional richness. Remarkable fact, it is today the product of a generation of novelists, essayists, historians, ethnologists, sociologists, all has some exceptions close, pure products of the Algerian School post-independence so wrongfully decried. The profession of works is such as it is difficult to quote all the authors.
Some of them recorded spectacular successes such Rachid Mimouni, Taher Djaout, Yasmina Khadra, Boualem Sensal, Salim Bachi, Anwar Benmalek, Rabah Belamri, MalekChebel, Ahmed Rouaidja, Azzedine Bounemeur, Leila Sebar and so much of others.
This wave falls under the line of the seniors such as Mohamed Dib, Mouloud Ferraoun, Kateb Yacine, Mourad Bourboune, Mouloud Maameri, Mohamed Harbi, Mostefa Lacheraf, Mohamed Arkoun, Djamed Eddine BenCheikh…
This remarkable continuity of singular contribution or literary inheritance of Algeria also constitutes invaluable milked union of civilisation with France and the foreigner.
