The Algerian writer Yasmina Khadra has been awarded the 20th Pepe Carvalho Prize, which will be presented on Thursday, 13 February, at Saló de Cent in Barcelona City Hall, as part of the BCNegra 2025 Festival. The author, whose real name is Mohammed Moulessehoul, is renowned for his ability to explore the social and political complexities of his country and beyond through crime fiction.

A brave and insightful writer

The jury, chaired by Carlos Zanón, highlighted that Khadra is “brave and insightful,” with a body of work that addresses issues such as terrorism, corruption, colonialism, and social inequality. According to the jury, his novels “pose moral dilemmas, entertain, and invite reflection, with a literary poetics that transcends fashions and trends.”

Khadra’s works, translated into more than forty languages, include iconic titles such as The Swallows of Kabul, The Attack, and The Virtuous Ones, considered his best work to date. Some of his novels have been adapted into films, further solidifying his international influence.

A career shaped by personal experience

Born in 1955 in Kenadsa, in the Algerian Sahara, Khadra was trained at a military academy, where he began to develop his interest in literature. To avoid censorship, he adopted his wife’s name as his pseudonym. His experiences as a soldier during the 1990s have profoundly influenced his work, which explores the tensions between East and West, as well as the scars of colonialism and Algeria’s social fractures.

A special conversation at Mooby Bosque

As part of the BCNegra Festival, Khadra will have a conversation with cultural journalist Óscar López on Friday, 14 February, at 8:00 PM at Mooby Bosque. This will be an excellent opportunity to get a close look at the critical and human perspective of one of the great contemporary authors of the crime fiction genre.

With this recognition, Yasmina Khadra joins an illustrious list of past winners of the Pepe Carvalho Award, including Jo Nesbø, Leonardo Padura, Donna Leon, and Andrea Camilleri.