Famous Algerian Poets

Moufdi Zakaria was an Algerian nationalist, activist, poet, and writer. He is credited with writing the Algerian national anthem Kassaman when he was in prison in 1955. It is believed that he wrote the anthem using his blood on the walls of his cell. His life inspired a 2012 film titled Moufdi Zakaria, the Poet of the Revolution.

Ahlam Mosteghanemi became the first female author from Algeria to have her books translated from Arabic to English. Daughter of militant activist Mohammed Cherif, Ahlam is known for her bestselling novels such as Memory of the Flesh. Her works reflect her fight against fundamentalism and corruption.

Mohammed Dib was an Algerian author who wrote more than 30 novels. He is also remembered for writing numerous poems, children's literature, and short stories in the French language. He is often counted among Algeria's most popular and prolific writers. Mohammed Dib was the recipient of the Fénéon Prize as well as the Mallarmé Prize.

Lounés Matoub was an Algerian singer, thinker, poet, and mandole player. An ardent advocate of human rights, secularism, and the Berber cause in Algeria, Matoub sparked an intellectual revolution. Lounès Matoub remained unpopular among the Muslim population for his secular and atheist politics and was assassinated on June 25, 1998.

Martianus Capella was a Latin prose writer, jurist, and polymath. A native of Madaura, Capella is credited with developing the system of liberal arts education that structured early medieval education. Martianus Capella is also credited with writing an encyclopedic work titled On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury.

Rachid Boudjedra is an Algerian poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote in French between 1965 and 1981, after which he started writing in Arabic. He also spent much of his time translating his own works from French to Arabic and vice versa. Rachid Boudjedra is also known as a scriptwriter and has been involved in penning many films.

Malek Haddad was an Algerian writer and poet. He wrote in the French language and achieved popularity as a novelist. Some of his popular novels include La Dernière impression, Je t’offrirai une gazelle, and Le Quai aux Fleurs ne répond plus. Apart from poems and novels, Malek Haddad also wrote essays like Les Zéros tournent en rond. 

Jean Amrouche was an Algerian francophone poet, writer, and journalist. He achieved popularity in Tunisia when Armand Guibert helped publish Amrouche's collections of poems in the late 1920s and 1930s. Apart from writing, Jean Amrouche is also remembered for his lectures.

Jean Sénac was an Algerian author best remembered for his poems, which were mainly written to invoke a sense of belonging and brotherhood in Algeria. He is also rememebered for his long-running relationship with philosopher and author, Albert Camus. Jean Sénac's life and career inspired many literary works and a couple of films.

Henri Kréa was an Algerian-born French novelist, poet, dramatist, anti-colonialist, and political activist. His works dealt with nature, heroism, and social and moral changes in Algeria. Regarded as one of the best Algerian-born poets of his generation, Henri Kréa published over 20 collections of poetry during his lifetime.