Please read and sign the call for Boualem Sansal.
[Version française] [English version]
This call was published in French by L’Express on December 28, 2024, under the title “Not supporting Boualem Sansal means feeding fear and totalitarianism”.
You can sign it here: https://chng.it/pk9mJc7gkR
Literature & Freedom: a website dedicated to Boualem Sansal and the study of his work.
This website is being put together by academics and readers of Boualem Sansal’s work following his arbitrary arrest so as to ensure that his work continues to thrive while he is being silenced.
Our aim is to carry out the project that Boualem Sansal himself had repeatedly envisioned, imagining a way to extend the universe of fiction into an online space that could serve as a training ground for democratic practice.
Boualem Sansal never had the opportunity to launch the website he had in mind, but he provided sufficiently clear directions to shape this virtual utopia into a tangible form. He designed it to welcome the well-intentioned readers, consistently calling for their involvement: “that perceptive reader seeking to deepen their understanding in order to remain master of their judgment,” that reader yearning for “real debate” who does not shy away from “the intimidations of one side or the other,” that reader “searching and thus contributing,” because after all, “friends must serve some purpose.”
By declaring that “the opinions [of his readers] carry the weight of law in the shared pursuit of truth,” Boualem Sansal has invited and encouraged us all as readers to continue his work by offering our own contributions.
Unfortunately, for now, Boualem Sansal will not be able to respond to the readers he invited to share this dialogue with. His silence reminds us of his unbearable absence and of his detention— such an unnecessary step, for no power can eternally stand in the way of truth and freedom, two values that are epitomised by Boualem Sansal.
Building upon Boualem Sansal’s work and following his steps on the paths he cleared up, the website is dedicated to fostering a critical and watchful attitude—both as readers of fiction and as citizens facing ideologies. In the spirit of Boualem Sansal, the site seeks to sustain dialogue between differing perspectives, tackling sensitive issues where dialogue is at risk.
The website will include several sections dedicated to:
- Advocating for the release of Boualem Sansal and updates on his situation
- Academic research on Boualem Sansal’s work
- Dialogue between writers, artists, and intellectuals regarding Boualem Sansal’s work
- Discussions among Boualem Sansal’s readers on the complex subjects he addresses in his writing
- Questions of truth and freedom, in both literature and society
- Making Boualem Sansal’s work known and appreciated, particularly in educational contexts, with teaching resources.
The editorial committee: Dr. Hubert Heckmann, Dr. Lisa Romain, Pr. Jean Szlamowicz