Boualem Sansal
| Full Name: |
Boualem
Sansal |
| Born: |
October 15, 1949
Theniet El Had, French Algeria |
| Occupation: |
Novelist, Essayist |
| Nationality: |
Algerian |
| Links: |
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Biography
Boualem Sansal is an Algerian author who writes in French. He holds an engineering degree from the National Polytechnic School and a PhD in economics. Sansal has worked as a teacher, consultant, business leader, and senior official in Algeria’s Ministry of Industry. After retiring from his high-ranking government position, he began writing novels at the age of 50. He is known for his outspoken criticism of Islamism.
Sansal has authored several novels that have earned him literary awards mainly French, including the Prix du Premier Roman (1999), the Prix Nessim-Habif (2008), the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (2011), the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française (2015), and the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca (2025).
He was imprisoned in Algeria on 16 November 2024, shortly after publicly challenging the country’s borders in Frontières, a far-right French media outlet. His arrest has escalated the diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France. On March 27, 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison. He was pardoned on November 12, 2025 and was transferred to Germany for medical treatment.
Sansal was elected to the Académie Française on 29 January 2026.
Works in the WWEnd Database
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Full Details
