The main thing is: What was your first reaction to the release of Boualem Sansal?
Antoine Gallimard: An extraordinary joy. Because I was always very worried about him: Boualem had great strength, pen and character, but he was also a dreamer, a very meticulous person too, and I said to myself, “Poor thing, how can he survive?” I was told that in prison he took some books with him. I wanted to believe him, and I tried to imagine him as Socrates in his cell… He’s out of that cell now. What a relief! Of course, that was a year too long. A year was stolen from him.
What was your particular concern during his detention?
I heard about his daily life from his wife, who always provided important support for him, and we really have to appreciate his courage and determination. However, what is also crucial is that Boualem, who is a writer, is not a political object that can be restored. He was almost trapped when right-wing groups tried to nominate him for the Sakharov Prize, which is also a very honorable prize. With the full consent of his wife, this pitfall can be avoided: it should be clear that the author’s representatives do not support this candidacy.
READ ALSO Étienne Gernelle: “Lessons of courage and freedom from Boualem Sansal”What does Boualem Sansal represent to you, who published it?
What a man and writer. As gentle as he is, without compromise. Pena was brave, one of the first Arab voices to condemn Islamism. A man of his time who was always passionate about both antiquity and his era, which he did not fear. Greedy about everything, curious, a trained engineer but also a memoirist, follower of Voltaire and Rabelais, who also had a great critical scope.
READ ALSO Boualem Sansal’s release: behind the scenes of secret negotiationsEditing is not just about spreading ideas and stories, but also protecting and defending those who carry them?
Of course, and I was very fortunate, as an editor, to publish Boualem Sansal, but also Arundhati Roy, who took extraordinary risks in relation to Indian leaders Narendra Modi, such as Orhan Pamuk or Roberto Saviano, who were (and sometimes still are) threatened in their countries. All these writers are like fire in the hearth. They heat and warm us. They allow us not to let ourselves be frozen by fear. This book, which is sometimes said to be ancient, remains a symbol of freedom and independence. He refuses. And we refuse the blessing of the book.
To find
Kangaroo today
Answer
If you had to recommend a book by Boualem Sansal?
You should read them all, but the book that I think best represents its excellence is German Village, in which he denounced Nazism and Islamism. The theme of memories is especially present there. Memories as memories. Memory is also like something that is hidden, hidden and that must be revealed. Today, it is Boualem Sansal that is brought back to life, and nothing would make me happier.
Hyperactive committee
“Make as many as possible so that Boualem’s voice doesn’t die out” : this is the approach of the international committee in support of Boualem Sansal, created after his arrest by Arnaud Benedetti, editor-in-chief Political and Parliamentary Review. From François Hollande to Nicolas Sarkozy, from Michel Onfray to Edgar Morin, the committee gathered 2,000 figures from 20 countries into a core group formed by former minister Noëlle Lenoir, director Jean-Paul Scarpitta, Algerian poet Kamel Bencheikh and political scientist Stéphane Rozès. Meetings, public readings, parliamentary lobbying… The committee made every effort, not hesitating to punish “inaction” European diplomacy and to crush those who use poisonous little tunes like “he may be looking for her…” Lawyer and former diplomat François Zimeray, who was the target of an anti-Semitic campaign in Algeria, filed a complaint with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who responded with a scathing “communication” to the Algerian authorities: “No one should risk enforced disappearance or arbitrary detention for peacefully expressing their views. »“Everyone is working with their weapons and sensibilities for the liberation of our friends,” maintain Me Zimeray. Nicolas Bastuck
