Rachid Mimouni (InArabic:رشيد ميموني) (20 November 1945 – 12 February 1995) was an Algerian writer, teacher and human rights activist.
Mimouni wrote novels describing Algerian society in a realist style. He was threatened by Islamic militants for his stance against a movement which he described as being based on archaic ideas, irrelevant in the present time.[1]
Rachid Mimouni was born in Boudouaou, 30 km from Algiers to a family of poor peasants.[2]
Mimouni studied science at the University of Algiers before becoming a teacher at the École supérieure du commerce (business school) in Algiers. He was president of the Kateb Yacine foundation and he also held the position of vice-president at Amnesty International. He fled Algeria for France in 1993 to escape the civil war and the assassinations of intellectuals. He died in Paris in 1995 of hepatitis.[3]
Prix de l'Amitié Franco-Arabe (Fraco-Arab Friendship Award) for « L'honneur de la tribu » (1990)
Prix de la critique littéraire : Ruban de la francophonie (Literary Critics Award, best Francophone novel) for « L'honneur de la tribu » (1990)
Prix de littérature-cinéma du festival international du film à Cannes (Cannes Film Festival Film-Literature Award) for « L'honneur de la tribu » (1990)
Prix de l'Académie française (Académie française Award) for « La ceinture de l'ogresse » (1991)
Prix Hassan II des Quatre Jurys (Hassan II Four Juries Award ) for his complete works (1992)
Prix Albert Camus (Albert Camus Award) for « Une peine à vivre et De la barbarie en général et de l’intégrisme en particulier » (1993)
Prix du Levant (Levant Award) for « La malédiction » (1993)
Prix Liberté Littéraire (Literary Freedom Award) for « La malédiction » (1994)
Prix spécial Grand Atlas (Special Grand Atlas Award) for his complete works (1995)