Algerian French-language Novelist Assia Djebar Dies, Aged 78

posted on: Feb 7, 2015

Assia Djebar’s life in dates:

1936: Born Fatma-Zohra Imalayène in Cherchell, west Algeria;
1955: First Muslim-origin woman to be admitted to France’s prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure;
1957: Publishes first book La Soif (published as The Mischief in English);
1958: Publishes Les Impatients;
1959: Studies modern history of the Maghreb at Morocco’s Rabat University;
1962: Becomes professor at Algiers university, publishes Les enfants du nouveau monde;
1965: Leaves Algiers university when staff are instructed to teach in literary Arabic;
1967: Publishes Les alouettes naïves;
1968: Marries writer Walid Carn (pseudonym of Ould-Rouis Ahmed);
1974: Returns to Algiers university to teach French literature and cinema;
1975: Divorces;
1977: Directs first film La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua (The Song of the Women of Mount Chenoua);
1979: Receives International Critics’ Prize at the Venice Biennale for La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua;
1980: Returns to Paris to live;
1981: Marries poet Malek Alloula;
1982: Wins best historical film at Venice Biennale for La Zerda ou les chants de l’oubli, (Zerda or the Forgotten Songs);
1985: Publishes L’Amour, la fantasia;
1987: Publishes Ombre sultane:
1999: Elected to Belgium’s Academy of French language and literature;
2000: Wins Germany’s peace prize;
2001: Becomes professor at New York University, having previously taught at Louisiana Sate University in Baton Rouge;
2005: Elected to the Académie Française;
2007: Publishes Nulle part dans la maison de mon père, her last book;
6 February 2015: Dies in a Paris hospital after a long illness.

Source: www.english.rfi.fr