Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature
Abstract
Kossi Efoui’s sixth novel, Une magie ordinaire, constitutes his intellectual autobiography in that it follows the reconstruction of an “intellectual development” (Paul Ricoeur, 1995) by retracing his own trajectory as a writer in exile, born and raised in a dictatorship, forced to live the last days of his mother’s life away from her. This study explores the role played by private life, history, and literature in the reconstruction of the writer’s trajectory that unfolds in this novel. How do these three themes, and the discourses that accompany them, interact with each other to build the self portrait of an author who, since his youth, has been preparing to expose several lies through his writing. This includes lies perpetuated by an oppressive government, the idea of a supposed superiority of the colonial language, that of masculinity and gender roles, as well as the possibility of a human condition devoid of suffering. Finally, this study opens avenues for reflecting on the inclusion of both fictional practices and the author’s private life in the construction of an intellectual autobiography.
Recommended Citation
Faulkner, Morgan
(2024)
"Autoportrait d’un auteur en exil : Une magie ordinaire de Kossi Efoui,"
Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature: Vol. 101:
No.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://crossworks.holycross.edu/pf/vol101/iss1/5
Included in
Film and Media Studies Commons, French and Francophone Literature Commons, French Linguistics Commons, Other French and Francophone Language and Literature Commons