Originally published in 1958, The Question is the book that opened the torture debate in France during Algeria's war of independence and was the first book since the eighteenth century to be banned by the French government for political reasons.

At the time of his arrest by French paratroopers during the Battle of Algiers in June of 1957, Henri Alleg was a French journalist who supported Algerian independence. He was interrogated for one month. During this imprisonment, Alleg was questioned under torture, with unbelievable brutality and sadism. The Question is Alleg's...

"Learning a First Language" is a complex and beautifully crafted collection of skillfully interwoven poetry and prose that explores the themes of memory, regret, hope and the relationship between art and passion.

It begins with "love," a reactionary "stream of consciousness" poem written in response to an unexpected and unsolicited marriage proposal, and ends with the final chapter of the author's meandering narrative account of a character known only as "The Artist." His story twists and turns its way through the text, shedding light on both the inspirations and contrary emotions that...