Amrouche Jean El Mouhoub

(1906-1962)

   He was born in the village of Ighil Ali in Lesser Kabylia. He was a francophone poet, writer, and journalist. His works represent sophisticated and nuanced analyses of the plight and place of the peoples of Algeria under France's colonial and assimilationist policies. His parents were Kabyles who converted to Christianity. Throughout his life, he tried to describe Algeria and its struggles to the rest of the world. Amrouche lived and taught in Tunis. He was a friend of Charles de Gaulle and acted as intermediary between the general and Farhat Abbas, the president of the Gouvernement Provisoire de la République Algérienne (GPRA). Although he was not a member of the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN), he was critical of French colonialism and defended the independence of Algeria.

   Among Amrouche's most significant works were Cendres in 1934 and Etoile secrète in 1937. In 1939, he published a translation of Kabyle songs titled Chants berbères de Kabylie. In 1942, he published an article, "Notes sur la grâce de ravissement en poésie," and another one in 1943 titled "Pour une poésie africaine, préface à des chants imaginaires." In 1946, he published a brilliant essay that he titled "Eternel Jugurtha, propositions sur le génie africain," which may well be one of the best attempts to explain the Algerian predicament. He had a lasting influence on the so-called generation of 1954, Algerian writers who wrote about the war of independence and decolonization. He was also a friend of Albert Camus, André Gide, and Jean Giono. Amrouche died in Paris in 1962, a few months before Algeria achieved its independence.