The “Francophone” Fermata

Chapter 6 focuses on the widespread reluctance among worldwide women writers to accept the word “Francophone” to describe their lives and work. For many, this disinclination is due to their understanding that this term is frequently employed in order to set their work apart as separate from and implicitly inferior to writing by French authors from France. Some admit that the classification is useful in certain settings, but most are quick to deny its pertinence to the French literary scene. An examination of bookstore displays and literary prizes reveals that narrow definitions of what constitutes “French literature” and a tendency to hastily classify authors as “Francophone” can lead to forms of exclusivity with deleterious effects. A consequential number of women signed a manifesto arguing for abolishing the ambiguous application of the descriptor “Francophone” in favor of the adoption of the much broader, more encompassing phrase “world-literature in French.” Two months after the publication of this document in the French newspaper Le Monde on March 16, 2007, an accompanying collective book volume came out, featuring chapters by a relatively high percentage of authors in my study. Their signatures and essays indicate a desire among worldwide women writers of French to be respected simply as authors, free from the oft-confining specifications that restrict the way they are received and read. Their involvement in this movement also exhibits a willingness to advocate avidly for different angles of interpreting written works that transcend the limits of a label.

Die vermeldingsnetwerk van gekanoniseerde Afrikaanse skrywers in die Afrikaanse literatuurstudie (2000–2020)

From the point of view of systems and field theory, the value attached to a work of art, for example a literary text, is not only the result of the intrinsic characteristics of the text but also includes connections with institutions such as publishers, and factors like literary prizes, the value judgments of literary historians, of reviewers, and of literary critics. The current study examines the mentions of canonized Afrikaans writers in nine academic journals over the past two decades, taking into account more than 5 000 publications and more than 70 000 pages. It is shown which authors are mentioned most, but also which authors are mentioned most often together, and it is shown that authors are mostly mentioned together in the terms of genre. Although the current study represents a large study of the visibility of authors in the study of Afrikaans literature, suggestions for further research are also made.

De onzichtbare verteller. Over Wees onzichtbaar van Murat Isik

What is fascinating about Murat Isik's novel Wees onzichtbaar is that so many different groups of people greatly appreciate this book, from the juries of the literary prizes, to the literary-oriented readers in the countless reading clubs in the Netherlands, and from the viewers of the TV programs De leesclub van M. and Koffietijd, to the students and the booksellers. This article examines how the novel brings about that enthusiasm about Isik's storytelling and which narrative aspects could play a role in it. After the main storylines have been mapped, the storytelling perspective and some storytelling techniques are discussed. In addition, attention is paid to the novel Wees onzichtbaar as a 'coming of age' novel, in the broader perspective of multicultural diversity and cultural differences in a multicultural society. Nederlandstalige abstract Het fascinerende aan Murat Isiks roman Wees onzichtbaar is dat zoveel verschillende groepen mensen, zowel de jury's van literaire prijzen als de literair georiënteerde lezers in de talloze leesclubs in Nederland, de kijkers van de tv-programma's De leesclub van M. en Koffietijd, de studenten en de boekverkopers dit boek enorm waarderen. In dit artikel wordt onderzocht hoe de roman het enthousiasme over de vertelkunst van Isik teweegbrengt en welke narratieve aspecten daarin een rol kunnen spelen. Nadat de belangrijkste verhaallijnen in kaart zijn gebracht, worden het vertelperspectief en enkele verteltechnieken besproken. Daarnaast is er aandacht voor de roman Wees onzichtbaar als een 'coming of age'-roman, in het bredere perspectief van multiculturele diversiteit en culturele verschillen in een multiculturele samenleving.

Literatur – grundsätzlich mehrsprachig!? Das politische Potenzial literarischer Mehrsprachigkeit heute, am Beispiel von Barbi Marković’ Superheldinnen

Literature – Multilingual on Principle?! The Political Potential of Literary Multilingualism Today, using the Example of Barbi Marković’s Superheldinnen. Research on literary multilingualism is increasingly based on the assumption that literature per se is multilingual. This is true for concepts such as Mikhail Bakhtin’s ‘polyphony’, in which multilingualism occurs in the form of social, regional and historical variants within one major language. Similarly, it applies to Rainier Grutman’s concept of hétérolinguisme, which expands Bakhtin’s notion and includes actual language changes. Recently, Till Dembeck has even called for a philology of multilingualism that would accommodate literary multilingualism in literary criticism. Using Barbi Marković’s novel Superheldinnen (2016) as an example, I discuss this recent development in multilingual literary studies and analyse concepts, forms and function of literary multilingualism. In so doing, I underline the transcending character of literary multilingualism that expresses itself on various levels: linguistically, formally, medially and with respect to culture. Thus, I aim to illustrate the enormous political potential of literary multilingualism. In fact, multilingualism in literature, as opposed to literature in times of a “monolingual paradigm” (Yasemin Yildiz), poses a political challenge on various levels. Concepts, such as national literature, literary field, but also literary studies and their institutions (i.e. language departments) reach their limits if literature is understood as being multilingual. In the second part of this article, I discuss the difficulties that come with literary prizes, literary studies and the access to the literary field. These often express themselves as concrete problems for individuals who, for instance, have difficulties accessing the literary field.

Video as a Canonization Channel for Contemporary Arabic Fiction

With the media transition from the paper to the digital, Arab writers’ interaction on the social media and book-related videos have become a central strategy of promotion. Besides book trailers produced by the publishers and the readers, the international literary prizes produce their own videos. One of the most important examples is the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) which releases videos with English subtitles for the shortlisted authors every year. Moreover, some writers and journalists have started TV programs or YouTube channels recommending books and interviewing their fellow authors. Engaging with literary history, politics of translation, and media studies, this paper discusses the contribution of videos to the contemporary Arabic novel’s canonization: how do the videos make the canon and its mechanisms visible? Which image of the intellectual do they shape globally and locally? Which linguistic varieties do they adopt? This paper compares two kinds of videos to encompass the global and local scale, with their respective canonizing institutions and mechanisms. On the one hand, it examines how IPAF videos (2012-2019) promote a very recent canon of novels on the global scale through the representation of space, language, and the Arab intellectual. On the other hand, it looks at two book-related TV programs by the Egyptian writers Bilāl Faḍl and ʿUmar Ṭāhir, selecting three episodes (Faḍl 2011, Faḍl 2018, and Ṭāhir 2018) featuring or devoted to Aḥmad Khālid Tawfīq (1962-2018), a successful author of science-fiction and thrillers. Debating non-canonical writings, these TV programs contribute to redefine the national canon focusing on the reading practices and literary criticism. Keywords: Canon building, contemporary Arabic literature, literary prizes, IPAF, TV programs, Aḥmad Khālid Tawfīq

La traduction littéraire qui n’est pas que la traduction. Sur les enjeux traductologiques au Canada

The article aims to take a close look at the literary relations between English- and French-speaking Canada. Among different possibilities, the author analyzes specific cases concerning literary prizes, in particular winners of the Governor General’s Prize in the category of translation. As it is one of the most prestigious awards in Canada, it undoubtedly conditions the reception of a literary work, being a symbol of prestige. The choice of the jury can sometimes seem surprising or even confusing, as it was the case of Nancy Huston or Jacques Brault who won the prize in the category of translation. Without a doubt, the specificity of the translation à la canadienne goes beyond any distinctions and descriptions and – being also a political issue – revolts against all control and all interference.