Maghrebian Mosaic: A Literature in Transition

Albert Memmi published the first anthology of francophone Maghrebian literature, he expressed his unhappy belief that francophone writing would quickly be eclipsed by Arabic. To the contrary, this volume demonstrates that the francophone writing of North Africa remains vibrant and prolific. Two distinct periods are evident in contemporary Maghrebian letters, producing the anticolonial works appearing prior to independence and the subsequent critiques of postcolonial society. This collection examines themes common to both periods: identity, conflicts between tradition and modernity, women's place in society, and the lives of North African immigrants living in France. Throughout, the uneasy and ambiguous relationship between the Maghrebian writer and the French language is evident, as is the ongoing political nature of North African literature.