Refiguring Les Années Noires

This book uses a close reading of seven literary memoirs of the Nazi Occupation of France to show how the collective memory of the period has been shaped by political and social factors. It incorporates trauma theory, history, and folklore studies, examining a diverse group of writers and bringing to the fore the unique perspective of each.

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Through a close reading of seven literary memoirs of the Nazi Occupation of France, Refiguring Les Années Noires: Literary Representations of the Nazi Occupation shows how the memory of the period has been shaped by political and social factors. An interdisciplinary study incorporating trauma theory, history, and folklore studies, this book examines representations of the Occupation by a diverse group of writers ranging from a female Resistance fighter to one of the first French Roma novelists. The methodological diversity of the volume brings to the fore each author’s unique perspective and demonstrates that their works are at once historically and artistically significant. Above all, this book gives voice to groups whose experiences in occupied France have largely been forgotten.