The Duality of Belonging in the Algerian Novel Written in French: Yasmina Khadra's Novel "The Favor of the Night upon the Day" as a Case Study

Abstract

In the contemporary era, the novel has successfully kept pace with all the transformations and changes affecting the cultural and intellectual arena, owing to the fluidity and flexibility it permits in simulating the lived reality of our societies, and due to its contributions to embodying the national character across its various dimensions, ideologies, and components.

The Algerian novel written in French has faced considerable criticism and controversy concerning its content and underlying principles. Algerian writers of Arab origin who chose to write in French found themselves caught in a debate between affirming their Arab and Islamic affiliation and the Western ideas and culture with which they had become imbued. Their national allegiance, which compels them to defend their homeland and write about its tragedies and sorrows, was expressed through a language foreign to their society—the language of the coloniser. Among these writers is Yasmina Khadra, who excelled in his novel   " The Favor of the Night upon the Day ", which encompasses a duality of belonging and identity discernible through the narrative phases of the work.