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18h ago

Boualem Sansal Enters Race for Académie Française Seat No. 3 as Vote Set for Jan. 29

The move carries political resonance given his recent Algerian imprisonment, with rising support from major literary institutions.

Boualem Sansal en août 2015 à Boumerdes, en Algérie. L’Académie française a annoncé jeudi 8 janvier 2026 la candidature de l’écrivain au fauteuil de Jean-Denis Bredin.
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Overview

  • The 81-year-old novelist formally filed for Fauteuil No. 3 by letter to perpetual secretary Amin Maalouf, a candidacy confirmed by Gallimard and the Académie.
  • Members will vote on Thursday, January 29, after a December 11 ballot ended blank with no majority for any contender.
  • The chair has been vacant since the 2021 death of Jean-Denis Bredin, with candidates including Belgian poet Philippe Leuckx and several others.
  • Sansal was arrested in Algeria on November 16, 2024, sentenced in March 2025 to five years for "atteinte à l’unité nationale," and freed on November 12, 2025 after a presidential grace by Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the request of Germany’s president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
  • His bid follows the 2025 Prix mondial Cino-Del-Duca, public support from the Goncourt and Renaudot juries, and a December tribute under the Coupole.