Life Writing and Transcultural Youth in Contemporary France

This book analyses transcultural and autofictional works relating to youth and childhood by three major contemporary authors in France: Azouz Begag, Maryam Madjidi, and Laura Alcoba, of Algerian, Iranian, and Argentinian heritage respectively. Studying texts and societal issues in France from the turn of the millennium to June 2023, it analyses the authors' relationship with both France and the "home" country, and the problematic pull of return. It highlights how each author uses autofiction and life writing differently. Begag uses autofiction for playful yet compulsive self-reinvention, Madjidi uses it in a search for authenticity, while Alcoba's autofictional approach highlights the difficulties of dealing with traumatic memory. Issues analysed include the effects of migration on individuals and their descendants, and the writers' multiple cultural belongings and constant self-repositioning. A substantial overview is given of each author's oeuvre, along with societal context for the country of origin or descent, followed by close textual analysis. This is a companion volume to a monograph on Québec.