Refiguring Les Annes Noires: Literary Representations of the Nazi Occupation

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Through a close reading of seven literary memoirs of the Nazi Occupation of France, Refiguring Les Annes 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 authors 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.

Reviews

The choice of writers studied is wide-ranging. . . Casting a wide net with both authors and periods, Comfort admirably highlights members of groups who have been somewhat neglected in literary studies of Vichy. Indeed, perhaps the most valuable chapters in this volume are those dedicated toMaximoff s testimonial novel of Roma internment camps and Annie Guhennos memoir of her experiences as Resistance member and Gestapo prisoner. . . Comfort proposes insightful close readings in crisp prose, foregrounding the central role of literary intertexts for her corpus. . . New students of the period will thus be introduced to several of the recent dominant trends in the field. . . this volume makes abundantly clear the knotted relationship between individual and group memory that continues to characterize Frances Vichy syndrome. * French Review *

Kathy Comforts Refiguring Les Annes Noires: Literary Representations of the Nazi Occupation delivers fully on its promise of analyzing with tremendous insight eight literary interpretations of the Occupation of France during World War II. . . . As a reviewer and scholar, I have spent many years researching the World War II Occupation of France. It is truly a pleasure when I am able to view the Occupation through a new lens. Comforts Refiguring Les Annes Noires: Literary Representations of the Nazi Occupation has allowed me to do that.

Author Bio

Kathy Comfort is associate professor of French at the University of Arkansas.