Scenes d'Interieur: Six Romanciers des annees 1980-1990 (French Edition)

In contemporary French literature, the novel of the last two decades of the twentieth century stands apart from its predecessors in stressing openness to the Other; it no longer reflects a quest for cultural coherence or linguistic purity, but a multiplicity of trajectories that demonstrate strategies of coexistence. In his writing, Jean-Philippe Toussaint decries the era of the spectacle and the reign of idolatry. Marguerite Duras translates the un-representable whereas others struggle against oblivion. Linda Le re-members the colonial past and evokes the troubles of assimilation experienced by immigrants in modern-day France. Annie Ernaux focuses on the commemorative aspects of working-class identity. In the private sphere, Marie Redonnet unfolds her utopist imagination to overcome a conflictual present dominated by technology and consumerism. Leila Sebbar creates nomadic characters that represent hybridity in daily life. In the panoply of contemporary narratives fashioned by these six novelists, social and literary debates are set forth that will strike a vital chord within intellectual circles of the twenty-first century.