Synopses & Reviews
The cloth edition of Assia Djebar's Women of Algiers in TheirApartment, her first work to be published in English, was named by the AmericanLiterary Translators Association as an ALTA Outstanding Translation of the Year. Nowavailable in paperback, this collection of three long stories, three short ones, anda theoretical postface by one of North Africa's leading writers depicts the plightof urban Algerian women who have thrown off the shackles of colonialism only to facea postcolonial regime that denies and subjugates them even as it celebrates theliberation of men. Denounced in Algeria for its political criticism, Djebar's bookquickly sold out its first printing of 15,000 copies in France and was hugelypopular in Italy. Her stylistically innovative, lyrical stories address thecloistering of women, the implications of reticence, the connection of language tooppression, and the impact of war on both women and men. The Afterword by ClarisseZimra includes an illuminating interview with Djebar.