Tunisian literature exists in two forms: in French and in Arabic. Arabic literature in Tunisia dates to the 7th century, with the arrival of Arab civilization in the region. Arabic literature is more important than French-language literature—which followed the introduction of the French protectorate in 1881—both in volume and value. The national bibliography lists 1,249 non-academic books published in 2002 in Tunisia, of which 885 titles are in Arabic. Nearly a third of these books are intended for children.

In 2003, the state budget dedicated 3 million Tunisian dinar

Tunisian dinar

The dinar is the currency of Tunisia. It is subdivided into 1000 milim or millimes . The abbreviation DT is often used in Tunisia, although writing "dinar" after the amount is also acceptable ; the abbreviation TD is also mentioned in a few places, but is less frequently used, given the common use...

s to the support of literature. There are approximately 100 private Tunisian publishing houses that publish virtually all books.

Arabic literature

Arabic literary figures include Ali Douagi, who has written more than 150 radio plays, more than 500 poems and songs, and nearly 15 plays. Béchir Khraief gave new life to the Arabic novel in the 1930s and caused a scandal by including dialog in Tunisian dialect in his first short story. Other literary figures include Moncef Ghachem, Hassan Ben Othmen, Habib Selmi

Habib Selmi

Habib Selmi is a Tunisian novelist and short story writer. He was born in Al-Ala near the historic city of Kairouan. To date, he has published eight novels and two short story collections...

, Walid Soliman

Walid Soliman

Walid Soliman is writer, essayist and translator, born on April 11, 1975 in Tunis, Tunisia.-Biography:Walid Soliman followed his secondary studies in the "Sadikia"...

 and Mahmoud Messaadi. Tunisian poetry is non-conformist and innovative: the language of Abou el Kacem Chebbi opposes the lack of imagination in Arabic literature.

French-language literature

Francophone literature in Tunisia began, strictly speaking, in the 20th century. It was initially powered as much by Arab Muslim authors like Mahmoud Aslan and Salah Farhat as by minority authors of Jewish (e.g. Ryvel and César Benattar), Italian, or even Maltese (e.g. Marius Scalési) descent. Francophone literature has blossomed thanks to French people living in Tunisia who founded a Tunisian literary life modeled on that of Paris.

Today, Tunisian francophone literature is characterized by its critical approach. Contrary to the pessimism of Albert Memmi

Albert Memmi

Albert Memmi is a Tunisian Jewish writer and essayist who migrated to France.- Biography :Born in colonial Tunisia,from a Tunisian Jewish mother and a Tunisian-Italian Jewish father, he speaks Hebrew and Tunisian-Arabic...

, who predicted that Tunisian literature was condemned to a young death, Tunisian writers like Abdelwahab Meddeb

Abdelwahab Meddeb

Abdelwahab Meddeb is an award-winning French-language poet, novelist, essayist, translator, editor, Islamic scholar, cultural critic, political commentator, radio producer, public intellectual and professor of comparative literature at the University of Paris X-Nanterre.- Biography and career...

, Tahar Bekri, Mustapha Tlili, Hélé Béji, Aymen Hacen and Fawzi Mellah have broken through abroad. The themes of wandering, exile, and disconnection are prominent in their writing.