Kamel Daoud faces lawsuit in France over prizewinning novel

French-Algerian writer Kamel Daoud is being sued in France for invasion of privacy by Saada Arbane, a survivor of Algeria’s 1990s civil war, AFP reports. Arbane claims Daoud’s novel Houris is based on her life. The book, which won the 2024 Prix Goncourt but is banned in Algeria, tells the story of a woman left mute after an Islamist cuts her throat and she witnesses her family’s massacre. 

Arbane, 31, alleges Daoud used details from her therapy sessions with a psychotherapist who later became his wife. She is seeking €200,000 ($209,000) in damages. Daoud denies the novel is based on her story, calling the case politically motivated.

A Paris court hearing is scheduled for May 7. The lawsuit comes amid rising tensions between France and Algeria, which recently arrested another novelist, Boualem Sansal, on national security charges. The case has sparked debate over artistic freedom and privacy rights.