Top Event
Following his pardon, Boualem Sansal, patron of the 26th ILB, will make his first appearance in Berlin. A small retrospective of his work offers insight into the breadth of his literary output. The subsequent discussion will also focus on the role of writing as both a political act and a form of biographical reflection, as well as on his body of work.
Image gallery
Boualem Sansal
The Algerian-French writer Boualem Sansal is an outstanding literary voice of international significance: As a recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (2011), Sansal stands for freedom of speech and a literature that assumes social and political responsibility.
With his intellectual fearlessness, literary precision, and courage to engage, he ranks among the most prominent voices in contemporary literature. For years, he has shaped international debates on democracy, memory, and responsibility.
In 2024, Sansal was arrested upon entering his home country and sentenced to five years in prison due to his critical stance toward political and religious developments in Algeria, as well as his statements on the Western Sahara issue. Numerous international figures from the worlds of culture and politics called for his release.
After German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke out on his behalf, Boualem Sansal was pardoned in November 2025 and flown to Germany.
- Boualem Sansal
- Moderator: Tilla Fuchs
- Read by Frank Arnold
(French with simultaneous translation into German)
Additional information
Participating artists
Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin
Dates
September 2026
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