Laredj was born in
Sidi Bou Jnan in
Tlemcen province. He obtained a BA in
Arabic literature from the
University of Algiers and then went off to
Syria to pursue postgraduate studies, aided by a government scholarship. He obtained an MA and a PhD from the
University of Damascus. Having finished his studies, he returned to Algeria and took up an academic position at his alma mater, the University of Algiers. He continued to teach there till 1994. The outbreak of
civil war in Algeria in the 1990s forced Laredj to leave the country. After a short time in
Tunisia, he moved to France and joined the faculty of the
Université Paris III-New Sorbonne, where he taught Arabic literature. As a writer, Laredj is well known throughout the Arabic- and French-speaking countries . Beginning in the early 1980s, he has published more than a dozen books. His novels often deal with the troubled history of his native Algeria. He translated himself some of his books into French. At least two of his books were available in French before they were available in Arabic. Laredj and his wife
Zineb Laouedj, have collaborated on an anthology on
African literature in French, titled
Anthologie de la nouvelle narration africaine. In the past, Laredj has produced literary programmes for Algerian television. He has also contributed a regular column to the Algerian newspaper
El Watan. == Awards and honors ==