Author | Mohammed Dib |
---|---|
Language | French |
Publisher | Editions du Seuil |
Publication date | 1952 |
Publication place | Algeria |
ISBN | 978-2020283120 |
La Grande Maison is a novel by Mohammed Dib published in 1952 by Editions du Seuil. It is the first part of the Algeria trilogy (which also includes The Fire and The Loom ). [1]
The story takes place in Algeria in 1939 , it tells the life of a large and poor family. The hero is a little boy of around ten years old who is hungry every day. [2]
Omar and his family live in a small room in Dar Sbitar (a group home where several families are crowded together and share the courtyard, kitchen and toilets). [3]
Aïni, the mother, works hard to support her family, but the money she earns is not even enough to buy bread. She is distraught, with the daily complaints of her children, She curses her late husband who went to rest leaving her in misery. Grandmother Mama (paralyzed) is abandoned by her childreni; she is another mouth to feed.
Among all the inhabitants of Dar Sbitar, Hamid Saraj stood out, a cultured and respectable young man. He is therefore the symbol of revolt and awareness (he is a communist activist). His arrest upset the residents of the modest residence.
The approaching war gathered the inhabitants of Tlemcen in the streets. This spectacle amazed Omar and thrust him into the future, a man.
The novel closes with the family gathered around the table for dinner. Omar's smile offers a glimmer of hope for a new day.
At the time of colonized Algeria, poverty and hunger consumed bodies and minds. From the beginning of the novel until its end, it is only a question of finding a little bread to satisfy hunger. Thus bread becomes an end in itself. Omar throughout the novel never stopped thinking about bread. [4]
This hunger transforms the characters. Aïni, for example, becomes "inhuman" even towards her mother whom she brutalized. Her behavior changes thanks to the baskets full of vegetables and meat that cousin Mustapha brought back. During the days that followed, Aïni stayed much longer with grandmother. The two women did not argued more. Grandmother stopped her whining. Aïni was considerate. The food has the power to transform the psychology of human. [5]
The novel is part of a realistic story of the daily life of the people of Tlemcen. The author's theme is to show the reality of the colonized to promote awareness. [6] [7]
La Grande Maison was adapted for Algerian television by director Mustapha Badie in 1974, in the form of a series.
Tlemcen is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of 140,158, as of the 2008 census.
Mohammed Dib was an Algerian author. He wrote over 30 novels, as well as numerous short stories, poems, and children's literature in the French language. His work covers the breadth of 19th century Algerian history, focusing on Algeria's fight for independence.
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The Campaign of Tlemcen or Tlemcen campaign was a military operation led by the Saadians of Mohammed ash-Sheikh against Tlemcen in 1557, then under the domination of the Regency of Algiers, a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. Mohammed ash-Sheikh, who wanted to conquer Algeria, occupied the city but failed to seize the Mechouar Palace, which was defended by a garrison of 500 men under the command of Caïd Saffa.
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The Campaign of Tlemcen (1551) was a military operation led by the Regency of Algiers under Hasan Pasha and his ally Abdelaziz, following the capture of Tlemcen by the Saadi Sultanate in June 1550.
Spanish Oran was a territory of the Spanish Empire as a result of the Conquest of Oran.
Ahmed bin Ali Khodja, also known as Ahmed II was the Dey (Sultan) of Algiers between 1805 and 1808. He came to power after assassinating the previous Dey, Mustapha II and his close friend and associate, Boudjenah with the help of the janissaries of the Odjak of Algiers. The fall of Mustapha, and Ahmed's coming to power resulted in the Odjak's influence severely overinflating and severe instability for the next 10 years. Corruption became rampant in the country, and the Odjak became a sort of ruthless kingmaker council, and forced Ahmed and the next few upcoming Deys to bow to any will they had. Just in the first 30 days of his rule, he looted the property of the Jewish residents of Algiers, and committed several and massacres. His rule was marked with many revolts, from Kabyle tribes, Arab tribes, Darqawiyya Sufis, and even the population of Tlemcen. His unpopularity rapidly increased after sustaining a severe defeat in 1807 by the Tunisians resulting in Tunis losing any sort of Algerian influence, and despite his best efforts to make them happy, the Odjak of Algiers decided to remove him and kill him in 1808 in favor of Ali ben Mohammed, a leader in the Odjak.
The Fire (L'Incendie) is a novel by Mohammed Dib, published in 1954.