At the ‘Absent Author’ program during the 40th Reykjavik International Literary Festival, an discussion of the work and the current plight of Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal. Image: Reykjavik International Literary Festival
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
A Call for Sansal’s ‘Immediate and Unconditional Release’
As we catch up with some of the nearly simultaneous world publishing events of recent weeks this spring, we note that the jailed Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal was the focus of a special program during the 40th anniversary edition of the Reykjavik International Literary Festival.
The festival, which is biennial, ran April 23 to 26, and on the 27th followed up with this special part of what organizers call the festival’s Absent Author series—which recognizes writers who are unable to take part because of political persecution or imprisonment. The series is a memorial, itself, to Thor Vilhjálmsson (1925–2011), one of the founding members of the festival.
As it turns out, Sansal was a guest at the 2023 Reykjavík festival, at which he spoke about his work and the challenges he faces as a writer. At the 2025 festival, writers and attendees had the opportunity to show their support for Sansal by signing a petition demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
As Publishing Perspectives readers know, Sansal was sentenced in late March to five years in prison, having been detained originally in November 2024 at the Algiers airport.
This year’s program about him was managed by Sjón, an Icelandic author, poet, and lyricist. As president of Icelandic PEN Center, Sjón is a vocal advocate for free speech and the protection of persecuted writers worldwide. Helga Soffía Einarsdóttir, a translator, also contributed to managing the event, according to the festival’s director, Stella Soffía Jóhannesdóttir.
The petition signed by those engaged in the action and the festival, carries a message reading:
“We, the guests of the Reykjavík International Literary Festival, join PEN International in condemning the sentencing of prominent Franco-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, 80, to five years in prison and call for his immediate and unconditional release.
“We are gravely concerned about Sansal’s right to a fair trial and the denial of access to a lawyer of his choice.
“We call on the Algerian authorities to ensure that Sansal has adequate access to medical care, family visits, and a lawyer of his choosing, pending his release.”
Stella Soffía Jóhannesdóttir
Jóhannesdóttir says the Absent Author series of events at the festival is “a reminder of the importance of free speech and the ongoing struggles that many writers face because of political repression.
“The festival remains committed,” she says, “to standing in solidarity with writers like Boualem Sansal, who are promoting freedom of expression, and defending human rights on the international stage.”
More on international literary festivals is here, more on the Reykjavik International Literary Festival is here, more on international book fairs, trade shows, and festivals is here, and more on the Icelandic market is here.