Myriam Ben

Myriam Ben (1928–2001) was an Algerian activist, militant, novelist, poet, and painter. She was born Marylise Ben Haïm in Algiers on October 10, 1928.^[1]

Early life[]

Her father was a communist who had served in the French army during the October revolution, and her mother was a musician.^[1] She was raised in a non-religious household, recalling later that she was seven years old before she realized her family was Jewish.^[1] In 1940, the Vichy French regime revoked the 19th century Crémieux Decree, so depriving Jewish Algerians of citizenship and resulting in Ben's expulsion from the lycée she had been attending in Algiers.^[1] She briefly attended a Jewish school, but completed her education at home due to her father's opposition to Zionism.^[1]

Social and political justice[]

Even at a young age, Ben was active in the cause for social justice, particularly combatting poverty among Algeria's indigenous population.^[1] At 14 she became the president of the Young Communists.^[1] She was also active in the Women's Union, and through the organization's sponsorship became a school teacher in the town of Miliana.^[1] She and her fellow teachers instructed the students — mostly Muslim and impoverished — but also endeavored to raise their political consciousness and promote a decolonized sense of history.^[1]

Ben supported the anti-French National Liberation Front (FLN) from the beginning of the Algerian War of Independence, and joined the communist Combattants de la Libération guerrilla group where she helped transport weapons.^[1] The French government considered her a criminal and sentenced her, in absentia, to 20 years of hard labor; however, she was never captured and years later would be forgiven.^[1] When the war ended in 1962, Ben became a member of the independent Algerian government.^[1]

Art and literature[]

Having already been a teacher, a rebel, and a legislator, in 1967 Ben began her artistic career as a poet, short-story writer, novelist, and painter.^[2] She published a number of collections of poetry, a collection of short stories (Ainsi naquit un homme; 1982), and a novel (Sabrina; 1986).^[2] She was also celebrated for her abstract paintings.^[3]

Retirement to France[]

In 1991, as Algeria entered a period of civil war, Ben moved to France. She continued to write and paint until her death in 2001.^[1]

Publications[]

• Le soleil assassiné, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2002. ISBN 2-7475-2176-1 (poetry)
• Au carrefour des sacrifices, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2000.ISBN 2738413005 (poetry)
• Quand les cartes sont truquées, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2000. ISBN 2738478654 (memoir)
• Leïla: Les enfants du mendiant, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1998. ISBN 2738468942 (play)
• Ainsi naquit un homme, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1993. ISBN 2738419240
• Sabrina, ils t'ont volé ta vie, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1992. ISBN 2858027080 (novel)
• Sur le chemin de nos pas, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1984. (poetry)
• L'âme de Sabrina, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2001. (short story)

References[]