the novel houris (Galimard), by Kamel Daoud, Goncourt Prize 2024, was it based on a violation of medical confidentiality? This is the accusation of Saâda Arbane, the only survivor of a massacre that took her from her family during the civil war of the 1990s in Algeria, when she was only 6 years old. This woman, who lost her voice as a result of an attempt to cut her throat, said on November 15 on One TV, a private Algerian channel, that the novel is actually a transposition of her confidences to the wife of the Franco-Algerian writer. psychiatrist, whom he began consulting in 2015 before the therapist married Kamel Daoud.
Saâda Arbane, accompanied by her husband, stated that she had subsequently explicitly informed her doctor and the writer of her refusal to divulge her story. However, he says that he finds details of his story in Aube’s character that only his psychiatrist would know: “Three years ago, I was invited by Mme Daoud to have a coffee at his house, in the city of Hasnaoui. Kamel Daoud then asked me if it was possible to tell my story in a novel, and I refused. Then his wife told me she was writing a book and I told her I didn’t want it to be about my story. She told me “Not at all… I’m here to protect you.”. houris “It’s a violation of my privacy.”concludes.
“From a legal point of view, this case raises many questions, writes the Algerian newspaper El Watan. Saâda Arbane’s accusation is based on violation of professional secrecy, a crime that could lead to the persecution of Kamel Daoud’s wife, if the accusations were proven. As for the writer, although he wrote a novel whose similarities with the reality of Saâda are surprising, it would be difficult to initiate a case against him, as long as the direct link between his book and the story of Saâda is not explicit and is not mentioned by name. »
“Purely fictional characters”
Kamel Daoud and his publisher were not authorized to participate in the Algiers International Book Fair that ended on Saturday: the novel houris It is also banned in Algeria. Kamel Daoud’s defenders denounce a campaign to denigrate the writer and maintain that novelists around the world are inspired by real events. ” Yeah houris “It is inspired by the tragic events that occurred in Algeria during the civil war of the 1990s, its plot, its characters and its heroine are purely fictional.”says Antoine Gallimard in a press release. “Since the publication of his novel, Kamel Daoud has been the subject of violent smear campaigns orchestrated by certain media outlets close to a regime whose nature is well known”says the text again.
Arezki Aït Larbi, director of Koukou Editions, an Algerian house that was also prohibited from participating in the Algiers book fair, denounces on his Facebook account a “lynching” WHO “Smells like a sponsored operation”. Ali Bensaad, professor at the French Institute of Geopolitics at Paris VIII University, recalling his “disagreements” assumed with the public positions of Kamel Daoud, said on the same social network “Deeply disgusted by the delusional hatred and evil pack joy being poured out against him. This is not the debate I want in my country. Hate is a fuel whose explosion ends up taking everyone away. I condemn it without reservation. »
Support in Algeria, however, seems less numerous than condemnations. Many insist on the importance of preserving medical confidentiality. “This issue risks weakening and complicating, or even breaking, the already fragile trust between women and health professionals. There has been so much progress in terms of raising awareness about the need for psychological monitoring of women victims of violence in Algeria that these abuses risk damaging these advances. writes feminist Hanane Trinel on her Facebook account.
Kamel Daoud, famous for his chronicles Raina Raikoum In The Oran Diarylost popularity among French-speaking Algerian readers, after showing hostility towards the peaceful Hirak protest movement and refusing to take a position in favor of prisoners of conscience in Algeria. Your articles in The pointweekly
Often considered hostile in Algeria, they also periodically spark controversy.
