Une Odyssée Passionnante Entre Histoire Et Légende

Abstract

The history of francophone literature is not recent; it dates back to a very long time and continues to evolve over the centuries. Rich and always varied, it presents revitalized subjects, that appeared mainly along with the extension of the areas of France political power, particularly in the Mediterranean region. Consequently, we wonder about ethnological importance and interest of the francophone texts; would the literary interest win over the ethnological interest? How does francophone literature relate to History? In this context, we will discuss Lebanese francophone literature and its relationship with History, based on the entire work of the francophone writer Amine Maalouf, passionate about Eastern history. We will analyze his way of transcribing, transposing or even rewriting the historical fact. Resurrecting centuries of France history, mixing history with literature and even politics or social life in a Couch on the Seine river [a novel's title: Un fauteuil sur la Seine], Maalouf takes his reader to an endless odyssey, such as in his novel Léon l'africain [Léon the African] (1986), Samarcande (1988), Le rocher de Tanios [The rock of Tanios] (1993) or Le périple de Baltassare [The journey of Baldassare] (2000). And if, at the end, according to Stendhal, "a novel is a mirror carried along a main road", would the francophone novel always be the reflection of an era, of a country and of a civilization?