La Téphromancie boudjedrienne : prédire dans les cendres divinatoires des Figuiers de barbarie

Boudjedrian Tephromancy: Predicting in the divinatory ashes of Prickly pears

Abstract

In ThePrickly pears, Rachid Boudjedra metaphorically employs the concept of tephromancy,
describing his writing process as "divination by ashes," a notion borrowed from Richard Howard. Like a literary
tephromancer, the author uses his pen as a divinatory tool, inscribing words in the ashes of the past to
illuminate history, memory, and identity. Each word becomes a sign, a symbol, skillfully navigating between
temporal layers. This approach transforms Boudjedra into a wordsmith magician, creating an enchanting
experience where time intermingles, and the future unfolds through the evocative mist of time's ashes.