Frantz Omar Fanon was born on July 20, 1925, and died on December 6, 1961. He was a psychiatrist and political thinker from Martinique, which was then a French colony (now part of France). His writings have had a major influence on studies about countries after colonial rule and on theories that examine society and culture.
Fatima-Zohra Imalayen (Arabic: فاطمة الزهراء إيمالاين; June 30, 1936 – February 6, 2015), known by her pen name Assia Djebar (Arabic: آسيا جبار), was an Algerian novelist, translator, and filmmaker. Her works often explore challenges faced by women, and she is recognized for her support of women’s rights. She is often linked to movements focused on women’s writing, and her novels highlight the history of Algerian women.
Tahar Djaout (from the Kabyle ethnic group: Ṭaher Ǧaɛut), born on January 11, 1954, and died on June 2, 1993, was an Algerian journalist, poet, and fiction writer. He was killed by the Armed Islamic Group in 1993.
Rachid Boudjedra (Arabic: رشيد بوجدرة) was born on September 5, 1941, in Aïn Beïda, Algeria. He is an Algerian poet, novelist, playwright, and critic. From 1965 to 1981, he wrote in French.
Marie-Louise-Taos Amrouche (Tamazight: Mari-Lwiz Ṭawes Ɛemruc, March 1913 – April 2, 1976) was a Kabyle writer and singer. In 1947, she became the first Kabyle woman to write and publish a novel.
Millosh Gjergj Nikolla, commonly known by his pen name Migjeni, was an Albanian poet and writer who lived from October 13, 1911, to August 26, 1938. He is considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century. After his death, he was recognized as a major influence in Albanian literature between the world wars.
Faik Bey Konica (later named Faïk Dominik Konitza, 15 March 1875 – 15 December 1942) was an important person in Albanian language and culture during the early 1900s. As the Albanian minister to Washington, D.C., his literary magazine Albania became the main publication for Albanian writers living outside Albania. Faik Konica wrote few literary works, but he was an important writer of style, critic, public writer, and political leader in Albanian culture.
Kongoli was born and grew up in Elbasan, Albania. He attended Qemal Stafa High School in Tirana, Albania. He studied mathematics at a university in China during the time when relations between China and Albania were strained.
Ismail Kadare (Albanian: [ismaˈil kadaˈɾe]; January 28, 1936 – July 1, 2024) was an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright. He was a respected international writer and thinker, known for his poetry until he wrote his first novel, The General of the Dead Army, which brought him worldwide fame. Kadare is considered by some to be one of the most important writers and thinkers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Dritëro Agolli was born on October 13, 1931, and died on February 3, 2017. He was an Albanian poet, writer, and politician. He studied in Leningrad, which was part of the Soviet Union.