Abdelouahab Aissaoui

Abdelouahab Aissaoui (born 1985) is an Algerian writer. He was born in Djelfa and studied engineering at Zayan Ashour University. He has written a series of novels, the most recent of which, The Spartan Court, won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in 2020.^[1][2][3]

Abdelouahab Aissaoui
Born	March 1985
Notable awards	International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2020

He was born in Djelfa, Algeria, in 1985.^[4] He studied there at the Zayan Ashour University, graduating with a degree in electromechanical engineering. He works as a maintenance engineer.^[5]

He is the first Algerian to win the IPAF.^[6] He also participated in the International Prize for Arabic Fiction Nadwa in 2016.^[6]

Works

• Jacob's Cinema (Algiers: Dar Vescera, 2012; winner of 2012 President of the Republic Prize)
• Mountain of Death (Lebanon: Dar El Saqi, 2015; winner of the Assia Djebar Prize)
• Circles and Doors (Kuwait: Dar Suad Al Sabah and Algiers: Dar Mim, 2017; winner of the 2017 Kuwaiti Suad al-Sabah Novel Prize)
• Testament of the Deeds of the Forgotten Ones (Qatar: Katara, 2018; winner of the 2017 Katara Prize for Arabic Novel in the unpublished novel category)
• The Spartan Court (Algiers: Dar Mim, 2018; winner of the 2020 Arabic Booker Prize (IPAF))^[7]

The Spartan Court has been described as "polyphonic," offering "a multilayered insight into the historical occupation of Algeria, and, from this, the conflicts of the entire Mediterranean region."^[6] It is set in Algiers from 1815 to 1833.^[8][6] Yasir Suleiman described the book as "captivating" and "a work to celebrate," with "intertwined narratives that keep the reader glued to its enchanting characters and their tortuous fortunes."^[6]

Mountain of Death tells the story of Spanish communists imprisoned in North Africa following the Spanish civil war.^[6]