Algerian authors gets German libraries peace prize

Algerian author and director, Assia Djebbar, received on Sunday the German libraries peace prize at the world book and publishing fair.

The jury said the prize rewards Djebbar for her struggle for democracy and peace in her country and for "her significant contribution to promoting awareness among women in the Arab world."

The 12,800 Euro-prize, financed by donations of libraries and publishers, is traditionally awarded at the Frankfurt fair.

Born in 1936 in Cherchelle, a small town in Algeria, Djebbar was the first Algerian woman to be registered in the Paris prestigious ENS school. She had to interrupt her studies after she took part in a demonstration of Algerian students in Paris.

In 1999, she was elected member of the Belgian royal academy of French language and literature. Since 1997, she has been teaching French literature at the US University of Baton Rouge.