Marylise Ben-Haim

Myriam Ben (10 October 1928 – 19 November 2001) was an Algerian activist, novelist, poet, and painter.

Early life Marylise Ben Haïm was born in Algiers on October 10, 1928. Her father Moses Ben Haïm was of Judaized Berber descent and was a communist who had served in the French army during the October Revolution, and her mother Sultana Stora, was an Andalusian Jewish musician.

Social and political justice Though French citizenship for Algerian Jews was restored in 1943, Ben was now active as an "advocate for the rights of the so-called indigenous poor".

In 1952, Ben received her first assignment as a teacher at a school in the village of Aboutville (now called Aïn El Hadjar, Bouïra). It was a poor village and the school was in bad condition but she was enthusiastic about her role. When parents were ashamed to send their children to school because they had no shoes, Ben would go to fetch them. From 1954, Marylise's political commitments forced her to go underground and she stopped flying. She published a number of collections of poetry, a collection of short stories (Ainsi naquit un homme, 1982), and the novel Sabrina (1986), her longest work.

Ben was also celebrated for her abstract paintings.

Retirement to France In 1991, as Algeria entered a period of civil war, Ben moved to France. In Ben's novella, Nora, she writes about a hope for an Algeria where girls have "equal access to education". She dreamed of a utopian future society for Algeria that was inclusive.

She continued to write and paint until her death in 2001.

Publications Le soleil assassiné, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2002. (poetry) Au carrefour des sacrifices, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2000. (poetry) Quand les cartes sont truquées, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2000. (memoir) Leïla: Les enfants du mendiant, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1998. (play) Ainsi naquit un homme, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1993. Sabrina, ils t'ont volé ta vie, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1992. (novel) Sur le chemin de nos pas, L'Harmattan, Paris, 1984. (poetry) L'âme de Sabrina, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2001. (short story)