Worldwide Women Writers in Paris: Francophone Metronomes

Worldwide Women Writers in Paris: Francophone Metronomes

Worldwide Women Writers in Paris examines a new literary phenomenon consisting of an unprecedented number of women from around the world who have come to Paris and become authors of written works in French. It takes as its starting point a series of filmed interviews conducted in the French capital, a set of recorded conversations motivated by a desire to pay homage to these discrete voices and images at a moment characterized by impressive diversity. Their individual paths to France and to French are noteworthy, and these authors of different generations and varying places of origin emphasize their singularity. However, the juxtaposition of their reflections reveals that many have faced similar difficulties when learning the French language, adapting to life in France, and many have encountered forms of prejudice in the publishing world related to their ethnicity or gender. These challenges have led them, each in an idiosyncratic manner, to tackle tough topics in their work and to respond to adversity by finding effective creative expressions. Taken together, the innovations and interventions in oral and written form of these authors collectively contribute to significant change in the specialized score that is the Parisian literary landscape: Hélène Cixous (Algeria); Zahia Rahmani (Algeria); Leïla Sebbar (Algeria); Bessora (Belgium); Julia Kristeva (Bulgaria); Pia Petersen (Denmark); Maryse Condé (Guadeloupe); Eva Almassy (Hungary); Shumona Sinha (India); Chahdortt Djavann (Iran); Yumiko Seki (Japan); Evelyne Accad (Lebanon); Etel Adnan (Lebanon); Nathacha Appanah (Mauritius); Brina Svit (Slovenia); Eun-Ja Kang (South Korea); Anna Moï (Vietnam). "She argues that the women authors who have found their way to Paris have not received the same kind of recognition as their male counterparts because they did not make noise to attract attention but spent most of their time writing. According to Rice, their work is revolutionary." -- K. Gale, CHOICE Alison Rice, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies, University of Notre Dame Alison Rice is Dr. William M. Scholl Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies and Chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Notre Dame. Her books Time Signatures: Contextualizing Contemporary Francophone Autobiographical Writing from the Maghreb (Lexington Books, 2006) and Polygraphies: Francophone Women Writing Algeria (University of Virginia Press, 2012) focus on literature by authors from Algeria and Morocco who write in French. She is the author of a website featuring filmed interviews with eighteen worldwide women writers in Paris: www.francophonemetronomes.com.