Spectres D’une Guerre Au(x) Récit(s) Perdu(s) : Littoral (1999), Visage Retrouvé (2002) Et Incendies (2003) De Wajdi Mouawad

Abstract

Wajdi Mouawad's works are haunted by the war that devastated his native Lebanon, and by his subsequent exile. This article focuses on Littoral (Montréal/Paris: Leméac/Actes Sud, 1999), Visage retrouvé (Montréal/Paris: Leméac/Actes Sud, 2002) and Incendies (Montréal/Paris: Leméac/Actes Sud, 2003). By highlighting the central role of specters and graves, it argues that the burial of the dead is a quest for a long-lost past, a means to reclaim a piece of oneself and rebuild memory and history alike. Furthermore, it shows how Mouawad seeks, through theater, storytelling, and writing, to confront both the war, and the lack of a story about the war, the past, and origins.