Rewriting in Algerian Arabic: New Perspectives on Self-Translation in Contemporary Arabic Literature

Abstract To what extent can the two versions of Rabeh Sebaa’s novel Fahla, written in Algerian Arabic and published in two different scripts, be considered self-translations? While the author claims that the text is identical, written in the same language but in two different alphabets, the traces of self-translation and the multilingual dimension of the novel in the two versions of Fahla lead us to conclude that the text is not exactly the same. This article sketches out some answers and reflections on the degree of visibility of self-translation as well as the creative linguistic strategies in the Algerian contemporary literature.