So Vast the Prison

So Vast the Prison is the most ambitious work to date by the woman many consider to be North Africa's most important literary voice. The tragedies of Algerian history are its subject, & particularly the condition of women in Islam. Djebar's fiction, like that of Nadine Gordimer & Edna O'Brien, wrestles with issues of oppression & the subtle ways language & history enforce it. Woven into one woman's personal story is the ancient history of her land, including the loss of its early languages, the massive destruction suffered in wars of conquest, & the quirks of chance that enabled traces to remain.

Betsy Wing is the author of Look Out for Hydrophobia, short stories and a novella and has published in The Southern Review and other journals. She lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.