(N)ostalgie? Communism and French literature since 1989

Gavin Bowd

doi:10.1177/0957155816660940

(N)ostalgie? Communism and French literature since 1989

Gavin Bowd

French

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

In recent years, the burgeoning field of research on ‘post-communist nostalgia’ has concentrated mainly on the former Eastern Bloc, with Ostalgie for the GDR of particular interest. Study of the memory of communism in western countries such as France has been marginal. However, communism has left a considerable trace on French culture and politics. This article examines the memory of communism in French literature published since 1989. The novels of Bernard Chambaz, Aurélie Filippetti and Michel Houellebecq express affection and even longing for the lost world of communism, while reflecting lucidly on the failure of ‘really existing socialism’ and marking a break with previous generations. To varying degrees, these writers evoke the crisis of a France decentred and disoriented by social liberalisation, globalisation and migratory flows. Beyond any reflective nostalgia for communism, there appears, between the lines, a nostalgia for a certain France.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	361-371
Number of pages	11
Journal	French Cultural Studies
Volume	27
Issue number	4
Early online date	10 Oct 2016
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0957155816660940
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2016

Keywords

Communism
Post-communism
Nostalgia
Generation literature

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10.1177/0957155816660940

Bowd_2016_FCS_NOstalgie_AAM
© The Author 2016. This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0957155816660940
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Cite this

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KW - Nostalgia

KW - Generation literature

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(N)ostalgie? Communism and French literature since 1989

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Keywords

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