Jean Pélégri (20 June 1920 – 24 September 2003) was a writer and professor of literature. Of French descent, he was born in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, but left as part of the diaspora of French colonists referred to as ''

pieds-noirs The (; ; : ) are an ethno-cultural group of people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962. Many of them departed for mainland France during and after the ...

'' following the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

. He was a friend of many Algerian writers (such as

Mohammed Dib Mohammed Dib (; 21 July 1920 – 2 May 2003) 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 ...

and

Kateb Yacine Kateb Yacine (; 2 August 1929 or 6 August 1929 – 28 October 1989) was an Algerian writer notable for his novels and Play (theatre), plays, both in French language, French and Algerian Arabic, and his advocacy of the Berberism, Berber caus ...

) and, like Jean Sénac, Pélégri considered himself to be one of them; he always saw himself as an "Algerian at heart". He supplemented his novels' prefaces with artwork from his painter friends Baya, Abdallah Benanteur,

Mohammed Khadda Mohammed Khadda (Arabic: محمد الخدة; 14 March 1930 – 4 May 1991) was an Algerian painter, sculptor, and writer. Khadda has been considered to be among the founders of contemporary Algerian painting and one of the many representatives ...

and Jean de Maisonseul. Pélégri also assisted on the film adaptation of his novel ''Les Oliviers de la justice'' as screenwriter, dialogue writer and actor. The movie won the Cinema and Television Writers Award at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.

Reviews

"Jean Pélégri, Algerian by birth and one of the great writers of our time, greater than

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

in any case, remains unknown in France. Why? Because he tried so hard to mark his territory as an Algerian that he created a different kind of French language just for his own use. And for that, French readers rejected him." :Mohammed Dib, ''Simorgh'',

Albin Michel Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

, Paris, 2003 is last book "No French writer from Algeria, the '

pieds-noir The (; ; : ) are an ethno-cultural group of people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962. Many of them departed for mainland France during and after the ...

s' as we ignorantly call them, with the possible exception of the poet Jean Sénac, accepted Algeria completely for what she is and for what she has always been the way that he did. No one so naturally felt like a son of Algeria in all her forms: Arab,

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

, Spanish, French ... as Jean Pélégri did, not

Gabriel Audisio In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

, not

Emmanuel Roblès Emmanuel Roblès (4 May 1914 in Oran, French Algeria – 22 February 1995 in Boulogne, Hauts-de-Seine) was a French author and playwright. He was elected a member of the Académie Goncourt in 1973. He was one of many influential '' pieds-noir ...

, not

Jules Roy Jules Roy (22 October 1907 – 15 June 2000) was a French writer. "Prolific and polemical" Roy, born an Algerian pied noir and sent to a Roman Catholic seminary, used his experiences in the French colony and during his service in the Royal Air F ...

, nor Albert Camus. From his novel ''Oliviers de la justice'' to ''Maboul'', Pélégri sings a veritable '

cante jondo ''Cante jondo'' () is a vocal style in flamenco, an unspoiled form of Andalusian folk music. The name means "deep song" in Spanish, with ''hondo'' ("deep") spelled with J () as a form of eye dialect, because traditional Andalusian pronunciation ...

' of rural Algeria in all of its baroque complexity. With Kateb Yacine's ''Nedjma'', ''Le Maboul'' is the only Faulknerian novel of our literature." :

Jean Daniel Jean Daniel Bensaid (21 July 1920 – 19 February 2020) was a French journalist and author. He was the founder and executive editor of '' Le Nouvel Observateur'' weekly now known as ''L'Obs''. Life and career Daniel was born in Blida, Algeria, ...

, ''Pélégri l'Algérien'',

Le Nouvel Observateur (), previously known as (2014–2024), (1964–2014), (1954–1964), (1953–1954), and (1950–1953), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, ' is one of the three most prominent French news magazines ...

, 2–8 October 2003.

Novels and Plays

*''L'Embarquement du lundi'',

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003, it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by G ...

, 1952. *''Les Oliviers de la justice'', Gallimard, 1959.

Grand prix catholique de littérature The grand prix catholique de littérature is a French literary prize awarded by the Association des écrivains catholiques de langue française (established in 1886). History Established in 1945 (prix du Renouveau français) under the impulse of ...

1960 *''Le Maboul'', Gallimard, 1963. *''L'Homme-caillou'', Abdallah Benanteur, 1965. *''Les Monuments du déluge'', Christian Bourgois, 1967. *''Slimane'' (pièce en quatre actes), Christian Bourgois, 1968. *''L'Homme mangé par la ville'' (radio drama),

France Culture France Culture () is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France Radio France () is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist ...

, 1970. *''Le Cheval dans la ville'', Gallimard, 1972. *''Le Maître du Tambour'' (play), Théâtre

Jean Vilar Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. Career Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 194 ...

Suresnes Suresnes () is a commune in the western inner suburbs of Paris, France. Located in Hauts-de-Seine, from the centre of Paris, it had a population of 49,482 as of 2020. Suresnes borders the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, ...

, 1974. *''Ma mère, l'Algérie'', Laphomic,

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, 1989; Actes Sud, 1990 (). *''Les Étés perdus'',

Éditions du Seuil Éditions du Seuil (), also known as Le Seuil, is a French publishing house established in 1935 by Catholic intellectual Jean Plaquevent (1901–1965), and currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The ''seuil'' (th ...

, 1999 ().

About Jean Pélégri

*''Jean Pélégri'', in Algérie Littérature/Action n° 29, Editions Marsa, March 1999. *Dominique Le Boucher, ''Jean Pélégri l'Algérien ou Le scribe du caillou'', with unpublished texts by Jean Pélégri, two volumes, Algérie Littérature/Action n°37-38, Editions Marsa, 2000 (). *Dominique Le Boucher, (). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pelegri, Jean 1920 births 2003 deaths People from Bougara Pieds-noirs French academics French male screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters 20th-century French male writers Algerian emigrants to France