2012 Outstanding Peace Activist

Boualem Sansal is an Algerian writer and intellectual known for his commitment to peace, freedom of expression, and criticism of extremism. Trained as an engineer with a doctorate in economics, he served as a senior civil servant in Algeria’s Ministry of Industry until 2003, when he was dismissed due to his outspoken writings. Sansal’s literary career began with his first novel, Le bénévole des barbares, which won the Prix du premier Roman and the Prix Tropiques in 1999. His open letter to his fellow Algerians, Poste restante, was censored in Algeria, drawing threats and insults for its bold critique of the country’s political climate.

Sansal’s works consistently explore themes of memory, identity, and the dangers of totalitarianism. His novel Le Village de l’Allemand won the 2008 RTL-Lire Grand Prix and received international acclaim for its examination of the legacies of Nazism and extremism. In 2012, he was awarded the Arab Novel Prize for Rue Darwin, followed by the Grand Prix de la Francophonie from the Académie française in 2013. His dystopian novel 2084, a reflection on the threats posed by religious totalitarianism, earned him the prestigious Grand Prix du roman from the Académie française in 2015.

Through his writing, Boualem Sansal advocates for tolerance, dialogue, and the preservation of memory, making him a powerful voice for peace in both Algeria and the broader Francophone world.