Taos Amrouche
Encyclopedia
Marie-Louise-Taos Amrouche (4 March 1913 in Tunis
, Tunisia
- 2 April 1976 in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire
, France
) was an Algeria
n writer
and singer.
She was born to a family of Kabyle
Roman Catholic converts. She was the first Algerian female writer. Her first novel Jacinthe noir (an autobiographical novel) was published in 1947 . Her mother Fadhma Aït Mansour
had a great impact on her life. Her literary style reflected the oral traditions of Kabylie
, descended from her mother. With her compilation of tales and poems La Grain magique in 1966, she took the nom de plume Marguerite-Taos, Marguerite was her mother's Christian name.
While she wrote in French
, she sang in Kabyle
. Her first album Chants berbères de Kabylie, which was a great success, was a collection of traditional Kabyle songs that were translated to French by her elder brother Jean Amrouche
in 1939 . She was an activist in Berber
issues and she was among the founders of Académie berbère in 1966.
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
- 2 April 1976 in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire
Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire
Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Observatory:Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire is host of a national observatory. The best European low-altitude observatory in function. There is also an astronomy center for educational purposes...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) was an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and singer.
She was born to a family of Kabyle
Kabyle people
The Kabyle people are the largest homogeneous Algerian ethno-cultural and linguistical community and the largest nation in North Africa to be considered exclusively Berber. Their traditional homeland is Kabylie in the north of Algeria, one hundred miles east of Algiers...
Roman Catholic converts. She was the first Algerian female writer. Her first novel Jacinthe noir (an autobiographical novel) was published in 1947 . Her mother Fadhma Aït Mansour
Fadhma Aït Mansour
Marguerite-Fadhma Aït Mansour Amrouche is the mother of writers Jean Amrouche and Taos Amrouche....
had a great impact on her life. Her literary style reflected the oral traditions of Kabylie
Kabylie
Kabylie or Kabylia , is a region in the north of Algeria.It is part of the Tell Atlas and is located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Kabylia covers several provinces of Algeria: the whole of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia , most of Bouira and parts of the wilayas of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Jijel,...
, descended from her mother. With her compilation of tales and poems La Grain magique in 1966, she took the nom de plume Marguerite-Taos, Marguerite was her mother's Christian name.
While she wrote in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, she sang in Kabyle
Kabyle language
Kabyle or Kabylian is a Berber language spoken by the Kabyle people north and northeast of Algeria. Estimates about the number of speakers range from 5 million to about 7 million speakers worldwide, the majority in Algeria.-Classification:The classification of Kabyle is Afro-Asiatic, Berber and...
. Her first album Chants berbères de Kabylie, which was a great success, was a collection of traditional Kabyle songs that were translated to French by her elder brother Jean Amrouche
Jean Amrouche
Jean-Elmouhoub Amrouche was a French-language Algerian poet. Born to a Catholic family in Kabylie in Algeria, Amrouche emigrated with his family to Tunisia while still young...
in 1939 . She was an activist in Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
issues and she was among the founders of Académie berbère in 1966.
Writing
- Jacinthe noire (1947) - reprint Joëlle Losfeld (1996), ISBN 2909906639
- La Grain magique (1966) - reprint La Découverte (2000), ISBN 2707125784
- Rue des tambourins (1969) - reprint Joëlle Losfeld (1996), ISBN 2909906620
- L’amant imaginaire (1975)
Further reading
- Denise Brahimi, Taos Amrouche, romancière, Joëlle Losfeld (1995), ISBN 2909906574
External links
- Bio details, bibliomonde.net - in French