Endorsements

INTERVIEW WITH THE NEWSPAPER L'EXPRESSION “The next generation of Algerian literature is assured”. Djawad Rostom Touati is one of the most brilliant writers of his generation. In 2016, he was awarded the Ali Maâchi prize for his novel “Un empereur nommé désir” (published by Anep). His latest novel, “La scène et l'histoire”, was published by Apic. He hosts a literary program on Canal Algérie. L'Expression: You published your first novel at a very young age. Could you tell us a little about it, how old were you and how did this first book come about? Djawad Rostom Touati: Not that young, since I was 31. Nevertheless, the genesis of the book goes back to my college days, but I kept it “in the drawer” until the tarantula of expression caught up with me again. Your novel “Un empereur nommé désir” was awarded the Prix Ali Maâchi in 2016. Can you tell us what this award meant to you when you were at the very beginning of your writing career? It was a great consecration, and an important springboard for the rest of my writing career. It was a great encouragement for me to continue writing. Receiving a literary prize is a double-edged sword: you can think you've arrived and then no longer have the strength to keep going. How did you manage the period following the award? I couldn't believe I'd “arrived” because, on the one hand, the novel is part of a trilogy and is, conceptually speaking, only a preamble to it. On the other hand, arrived where? To fame? Fame is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Considering oneself as “arrived” is part of a culturo-mundane logic that I criticize in the final part of my trilogy; in other words, I couldn't fall into this trap from the outset. [...]