Literature of the Maghreb & Mashrek in Translation

Catalog description

This class is an introduction to the wide variations within Arab-Francophone cultures and literatures by examining the writings of Francophone Arab writers and film makers, from 1970’s to living writers in the present day. The reading list includes works from the Mashrek (Egypt, Lebanon and Syria), such as Paula Jacques, Andrée Chédid, and Zeina Abi Rachid, and the Maghreb, (Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco). In doing so, we seek to look in depth how the Francophone Arab writers and film makers use their work as a double mirror to reflect and criticize French and Arabic societies at once. Among the many topics we will approach: the question of national identity, gender, bilingualism, race, migration and exile.