Habib Tengour
Encyclopedia
Habib Tengour is an French-Algerian poet, sociologist and anthropologist. He was born in Mostaganem
in eastern Algeria
in 1947. The Tengour family moved to France
when Habib was five years old, and he grew up there in a working-class household. He studied sociology
in France and continued his studies in Algeria at Constantine University. Although his work draws heavily on various aspects of Algerian culture and tradition, Tengour writes mainly in French
. His first published work was a book of surrealist poetry Tapapakitaques ou la poésie-île (1976). His principal translator in English is Pierre Joris
, professor at the University of Albany.
Tengour lives in Paris
and Constantine
.
Mostaganem
Mostaganem is a port city in and capital of Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea and is 72 km ENE of Oran...
in eastern 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...
in 1947. The Tengour family moved to 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...
when Habib was five years old, and he grew up there in a working-class household. He studied sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in France and continued his studies in Algeria at Constantine University. Although his work draws heavily on various aspects of Algerian culture and tradition, Tengour writes mainly 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...
. His first published work was a book of surrealist poetry Tapapakitaques ou la poésie-île (1976). His principal translator in English is Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris, born in Strasbourg, France in 1946 and raised in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, is a poet and translator. He left Luxembourg at nineteen and since then has lived in the US, Great Britain, North Africa and France...
, professor at the University of Albany.
Tengour lives in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
.
Selected works
- Exile is My Trade: A Habib Tengour Reader, translated by Pierre Joris (Black Widow Press, 2011)
- Empedocles's Sandal, translated by Pierre Joris (Duration Press, 1999)
- Tapapakitaques ou la poésie-île (1976)