ALGERIA: A REVOLUTION THAT FAILED

by Arslan Humbaraci ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Subtitled ""A Political History Since 1954,"" this work is certainly one of the handful of really important books on Algeria so far published in English. That is not to say that it is either ""objective"" or ""comprehensive""--or, for that matter, very easy to read. The author, Turkish by birth and leftwing politically, cannot be accused of anti-Arab, anti-Islam, or anti-Communist sentiments; he has not only closely followed Algerian vicissitudes since 1959, he also ""militated against"" this last great French colonial adventure. Thus, when he details his charges against both Ben Bella and Boumedienne governments, they cannot fail to carry considerable weight. Tempered as they are with sympathy, these charges are anything but superficial or unpremeditated. The difficulties most likely to trouble the American reader here are a superfluity of unfamiliar and rather disorganized details, especially names, and Mr. Humbaraci's rather stilted English. These are minor obstructions in a book which has tremendous information and insight and which outstrips other accounts of the Algerian experience in its feeling and understanding.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Praeger

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1966

Categories: NONFICTION