Abdelouahab Aissaoui

An internationally acclaimed Algerian novelist. A graduate in electronics and student of theater criticism at the Higher Institute of Performing Arts in Algiers, Aissaoui made literary history after winning the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2020 for his monumental historical masterwork The Spartan Court (Al-Diwan Al-Isbarti, translated into multiple languages). He is the recipient of numerous premier honors across the Arab world, including the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel (2017) for Testament of the Deeds of the Forgotten Ones, the Assia Djebar Prize (2015) for Mountain of Death, the Algerian President of the Republic Prize (2012) for his debut Jacob’s Cinema, and the Suad al-Sabah Prize (2017) for Circles and Doors. Nominated again for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2026 for Grandma Touma’s Cord, Aissaoui is celebrated for his rich narrative architecture, philosophical depth, and unsparing examination of collective memory, power dynamics, and the marginalized voices silenced by official history.