The Algerian War in French/Algerian Writing

“Six decades on from its murderous paroxysm, the Algerian war remains unfinished business. In this important monograph, Jonathan Lewis charts the conflict’s memorial trace in the literary production of the Algerian diaspora in France, exploring and explaining writing as a privileged site for understanding this durably traumatic war of decolonization.”

“This book is essential reading. Lewis’s close, nuanced readings of literary texts are exemplary in the way they bring to the fore the significant contribution that literature can make to understanding the complex history of the Algerian war and its legacies. In doing so, Lewis makes the compelling and convincing case that to understand contemporary France we need to return to the open uncertainties of French/Algerian literature.”