Abstract
Literary texts convey the complexities of the urban experience in a tangible way. While there is a wide body of work on literary representations of Paris, the role of public transport as part of the (postcolonial) urban experience has not received much attention. This article sets out to analyse the meanings of the mobile public space comprising the Paris Metro in Francophone African and Afrodiasporic literary texts from the mid-20th century to the 2010s. The reading demonstrates how the texts represent the public space of the Metro as a symbol of modernity, a space of disappointment and alienation, an embodiment of social inequalities and as a site of convivial encounters and claims of agency. Through this analysis, the article highlights the role of literature in elucidating the intertwinement of mobility, public space and postcolonial urbanity.
Highlights
Literary urban studies focus on experiences of the city in literature and the citiness of literary texts (Finch et al, 2017: vi)
The public space of the public transport turns into a space for an ethical encounter between strangers,7 probably saving the protagonist from deportation: ‘Surprised, we found ourselves alone, sitting very close to each other, face-to-face, strangers to each other
The narratives convey the idea of faceless masses moving in underground tunnels and how African travellers end up becoming part of these indifferent masses
Summary
Literary urban studies focus on experiences of the city in literature and the citiness of literary texts (Finch et al, 2017: vi). Keywords Francophone African literature, Paris Metro, postcoloniality, public space These texts feature African newcomers in Paris and convey both the enthusiasm and alienation that being in the colonial metropolis generates for the protagonists.
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