| Jalila Hafsia | |
| Native Name: | جليلة حفصية |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Birth Date: | 17 October 1927 |
| Birth Place: | M'saken, Sousse, French Tunisia |
| Death Place: | Tunis |
| Occupation: | Writer, journalist |
| Language: | Arabic, French |
| Nationality: | Tunisian |
| Notable Works: | Ash at Dawn (French: Cendres à l’aube) |
Jalila Hafsia (Arabic: جليلة حفصية; 17 October 1927 – 10 August 2023) was a Tunisian writer who published one of the first Tunisian novels written in French.
Jalila Hafsia was born in M'saken on 17 October 1927.[1] [2] After receiving her education she worked for several cultural institutions, eventually serving as director of the Tahar Haddad Cultural Club, a prominent cultural club often associated with women writers.[3] In 1975 she published Ash at Dawn (French: Cendres à l’aube), one of the first novels by a Tunisian woman to be written in French.[4]
Hafsia was an admirer of Simone de Beauvoir, with whom she corresponded.[5] In 2019 she was named a grand officer of the Tunisian Order of the Republic for her cultural achievements.[6]
Jalila Hafsia died on 10 August 2023 in Tunis, at the age of 95.[7]
In 2019, Jalila Hafsia was awarded the insignia of Grand Officer of the Tunisian Order of Merit.[8]