Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade by Assia Djebar

featuring Maximilian Owre, Carolina Public Humanities

Winner of the 1996 Neustadt International Prize for Literature

—Djebar’s exceptional descriptive powers bring to life the experiences of girls and women caught up in the dual struggle for independence—both their own and Algeria’s.—Heinemann Publishing

—Fantasia, the first novel in an Algerian quartet, is a tour de force, combining the history of the French conquest of Algeria, told from the French point of view, with the stories of Algerian women, the two joined by the fact that both are imprisoned—the women by tradition, the colonists “invaders who imagine they are taking the Impregnable City, but who wander aimlessly in the undergrowth of their own disquiet.” —The New York Times

—Djebar’s writing, marked by a regal unwillingness to compromise in the face of ethical, linguistic, and narrative complexities, has attracted devoted followers around the world.—Seven Stories Press

—As one of the best-known and most prolific writers on the condition of women in the Arab world, Djebar joined the likes of Voltaire and Victor Hugo in the elite Académie Française in 2005—the first North African and only the fifth woman ever elected to the 40-member Académie.—Christian Science Monitor

—Djebar remains one of the most widely acclaimed writers in North Africa.—PEN America

Meeting Date: Tuesdays, October 4 and 11

Cost: $40, includes a copy of the book shipped to your home

Register online or call 919.962.1544