Abstract
This paper analyzes the last two novels of the French writer Patrick Deville: Equatoria (2009) and Kampuchéa (2011). Formalistic, both works are emblematic of the Deville’s new style, and they will be approached from a threefold perspective: it will first identify the generic undecidability of such literature; then it will see how, using current affairs, they offer a reflection on the utopias of the twentieth century and its failures; and finally, it will emphasize the melancholy of history, which is ultimately located on the boundary between literature and epistemology.
Highlights
This paper analyzes the last two novels of the French writer Patrick Deville: Equatoria (2009) and Kampuchéa (2011)
Reconnu pour sa facture romanesque impassible et minimaliste qui a fait les beaux jours de la nouvelle génération de Minuit durant la décade 1980-1990, Patrick Deville1 a amorcé au début du XXIe siècle un tournant dans son grand-œuvre en creusant une veine géopolitique et historique
Élevé, dix-huitiémistes dans l’âme, il suit le cours de l’Histoire tout en organisant son récit selon le même procédé de tressage : les titres des chapitres sont ainsi « Ernest & Francis », « Francis & Jean » ou encore « Albert & Louis », « Pierre & John », « Pierre & Pierre », « Stan & Edison » ; ils disent l’inévitable lien entre tous
Summary
This paper analyzes the last two novels of the French writer Patrick Deville: Equatoria (2009) and Kampuchéa (2011).
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