Noureddine Aba (February 16, 1921 – September 19, 1996) was an Algerian poet and playwright. His work mainly focuses on political themes, such as the Algerian revolution, the

Arab–Israeli conflict The Arab–Israeli conflict is an ongoing intercommunal phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century, but had mostly faded out by the ...

and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. In 1990, he established the Fondation Noureddine Aba, which continues to present the annual Noureddine Aba Prize to Algerian writers.

Early life

Aba was born in 1921 in the Algerian town of Sétif. In his autobiographical work ''Le chant perdu au pays retrouve'' (''The Lost Song of a Rediscovered Country'', 1978), he described his childhood as an unhappy period, writing: "I had to envy children in some parts of the world who went through childhood with the frivolity of butterflies". After completing his secondary education in Setif, he spent one year studying law at the

University of Algiers The University of Algiers (Arabic:جامعة الجزائر – بن يوسف بن خـدة ), commonly called the Algiers 1 University, is a public research university located in Algiers, Algeria. It is the oldest and most prestigious universi ...

. In the 1940s, he began writing some poetry, including his 1941 collection ''L'Aube de l'amour'' (''The Dawn of Love''). In 1943, he was conscripted into the Algerian army, where he served for two years until the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Writing career

After the war, Aba became a journalist and reported on the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...

. When the magazine ''

Présence Africaine ''Présence Africaine'' is a pan-African quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris, France, and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, ''Présence Africaine'' expanded to include a publishing house and a bookstore ...

'' was established in 1947, Aba became one of its writers. At this point, Aba was living in France, where he spent much of his adult life. Wartime experiences, particularly his outrage at the

Sétif massacre Sétif ( ar, سطيف, ber, Sṭif) is the capital of the Sétif Province in Algeria. It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is considered the trade capital of the country. It is an inner ci ...

of May 1945, also inspired Aba to commit to writing more poetry. His work is primarily focused on themes relating to politics and the impact of violence on humans, covering topics such as the Algerian revolution, the

and

. The themes of his work led the scholar Jean Déjeux to compare him to Mohammed Dib. Aba's more well-known collections include ''Gazelle au petit matin'' (''Gazelle in the Early Morning'', 1978) and ''Gazelle après minuit'' (''Gazelle after Midnight'', 1979), which take the form of a series of love poems inspired by the deaths of a young couple at the point of the country becoming independent from France. Aba has also written many plays, which are often farces with political themes. They have been performed in French theatres and on

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

; plays are rarely performed in Algeria unless they are in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

. His plays include ''Tell el Zaatar s'est tu a la tombée du soir'' (''Silence at Nightfall in Tell el Zaatar'', 1981), which relates episodes from the

history of Palestine The history of Palestine is the study of the past in the region of Palestine, also known as the Land of Israel and the Holy Land, defined as the territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River (where Israel and Palestine are tod ...

, and ''L'Annonce faite à Marco, ou a l'aube et sans couronne'' (''The Annunciation to Marco, or Uncrowned at Dawn'', 1983), which is set during the Battle of Algiers in 1957.

Awards and honours

Aba's work gained greater critical recognition in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1979 he was presented with the Prix de l'Afrique méditerranéenne for his poetry, and in 1985 he was awarded the

Fondation de France The Fondation de France ("Foundation of France") is an independent administrative agency which was established by the French government in an effort to stimulate and foster the growth of private philanthropy and private foundations in France.Fon ...

's "Prix Charles Oulmont" for his contribution to literature. His 1981 play ''Tell el Zaatar...'' won the Prix Palestine-Mahmoud Hamchari.

Other work

Aba has lectured at a number of universities, including a period teaching Algerian literature at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

. Aba has been a member of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer and the Académie Universelle des Cultures. He was also part of the Haut Conseil de la francophonie, having been appointed to this by François Mitterrand. Aba has also been active in politics. He returned briefly to Algeria in the late 1970s and worked in the Ministry of Information and Culture, before becoming disillusioned with Algerian politics and returning to France. Throughout his life, he was particularly sympathetic to

Palestinian nationalism Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1968 ...

. Before his death, he petitioned the French government to persuade them to help bring an end to the Algerian Civil War.

Death and legacy

Aba died in 1996 in Paris, aged 75. The Fondation Noureddine Aba, established by the author in 1990, continues to present the annual Noureddine Aba Prize to Algerian writers writing in French or Arabic. Previous recipients have included

Tahar Djaout Tahar Djaout (11 January 1954 – 2 June 1993) was an Algerian journalist, poet, and fiction writer. He was assassinated in 1993 by the Armed Islamic Group. Early life He was born in 1954 in Oulkhou, a village in the Kabylie region. After unive ...

and Redha Malek.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aba, Noureddine 1921 births 1996 deaths People from Sétif Algerian dramatists and playwrights Algerian male poets Algerian journalists Algerian expatriates in France 20th-century Algerian poets 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century male writers 20th-century journalists Algerian expatriates in the United States