Fatima Gallaire, née Bourega, (7 August 1944 – 15 September 2020)
was a Franco-
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
n playwright and author of short stories, who wrote in
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
. Born in Algeria, she held degrees in French Literature from the
University of Algiers
The University of Algiers 1 (), commonly called Benyoucef Benkhedda, is a public research university based in Algiers, Algeria. Founded in 1909 from the amalgamation of different French colonial educational institutions, it has become the oldes ...
, and in Cinema from
Paris 8 University
Paris 8 University (), or usually the University of Vincennes in Saint-Denis or Paris 8, is a public university in the Greater Paris, France. Once part of the historic University of Paris, it is now an autonomous public institution.
It is base ...
. She wrote over twenty plays, many of which have been translated and performed in languages including English, Italian, German, Spanish and Uzbek. These include ''Princesses'', translated as ''You have come back'', and ''Les Co-épouses'', translated as ''House of Wives''. She received the Arletty Prize for Drama in 1990 and the
Académie française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
AMIC award in 1994.
Biography
Gallaire was born as Fatima Bourega on 7 August 1944 in
El Harrouch
El Harrouch is a town and commune in Skikda Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is located on the main N3 road south of Skikda and north of Constantine.
Demographics
The town of El Harrouch had a population of about 48,994 people at the 2008 ...
in north-eastern Algeria. After studying French literature at the
University of Algiers
The University of Algiers 1 (), commonly called Benyoucef Benkhedda, is a public research university based in Algiers, Algeria. Founded in 1909 from the amalgamation of different French colonial educational institutions, it has become the oldes ...
(1963–67), she moved to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
where she studied cinema until 1970.
After working for four years at the Algiers Cinémathèque,
she returned to Paris in 1975 where she earned a degree in Cinema Studies at Paris 8 University,
Vincennes
Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...
, in 1980. The following year she married a Frenchman, adopting his family name for her publications.
She gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, in 1981.
In 1985, she began to write for the theatre, her ''Ah vous êtes venus...'' (later retitled ''Princesses'') being presented at the
Théâtre Essaion in Paris in February 1986.
In 1991, she wrote her first novel ''Le Mendigot''.
[
Gallaire died 15 September 2020 in Paris, aged 76.]
Works translated into English
* ''You have come back'' (''Princesses''), in "Plays by women: an International Anthology", ed. Francoise Kourilsky and Catherine Temerson, Ubu Repertory Theater Publications, 1988.
* ''Madame Bertin's Testimony'' (''Témoignage contre un homme stérile''), in "Monologues : plays from Martinique, France, Algeria, Quebec", Ubu Repertory Theater, New York, 1995.
* ''House of Wives'' (''Les Co-épouses''), in "Four Plays from North Africa", ed. Marvin Carlson, Martin E. Segal Theatre Center Publications, New York, 2008.
Awards
In 1990, she was awarded the Arletty Prize for her contributions to drama. She also received the AMIC Award from the Académie française in 1994.
References
External links
Fatima Gallaire's official site
(in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallaire, Fatima
1944 births
2020 deaths
Algerian dramatists and playwrights
Algerian emigrants to France
University of Algiers alumni
20th-century Algerian women writers
20th-century Algerian writers
Algerian writers in French
University of Paris alumni
Algerian women dramatists and playwrights
People from Skikda Province