Politics, Language, and Gender in the Algerian Arabic Novel.(Book Review)

BY DEBBIE COX London: Saqi, 2003. xv + 281 pp. $ 109.95.

Debbie Cox's Politics, Language, and Gender in the Algerian Arabic Novel is a welcome addition to the very short list of books in English on modern Arabic literature in Algeria. There is in fact, a dearth of published research in English dealing with that branch of Algerian literature, while Algerian literature written in French has enjoyed to this day the almost undivided attention of researchers and literary critics. This uneven situation maintained the bulk of Arabic works in the shadow, making it very difficult to dispute the existence of a thriving literary movement in Arabic. Cox's book has the added advantage of connecting literature to the political history of Algeria through two major players: language and women. The linguistic issue, which has not ceased to provoke emotionally charged and heated debates, is examined in Cox's work, from a new angle and highlights the writings of the two prominent novelists, Abdelhamid Benhadouga and Taher Wattar. The author …