Asian and North African francophone literatures share not only a common language but are both fertile grounds where writers explore the experiences of the self, families, and society at large. In these literatures, writing functions as an archaeological device to make sense of the obstructive social processes that make life excessively demanding and complex. This orientation positions Asian and North African francophone narratives as some the most significant archives of the individual's journey in and out of the private or public sphere in the modern era.

This talk will introduce novels written by Aki Shimazaki, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Linda Lê, Mohammad Berrada, Kim Thuy, Abdallah Laroui, Marguerite Duras and Pham Duy Khiem, and will invite us into these two literary and cultural traditions, bringing North Africa and Asian societies and literatures into close conversation with each other.

About the speaker

Adrien Pouille is an Assistant Professor of African Literature at Duke Kunshan University. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Indiana University Bloomington, and has taught at St. Mary's College of Maryland, Wabash College, and Indiana University Bloomington. He is the author of Human Journeys and the Quest for Knowledge in African Writing, published in 2021, and contributed to the Saafi-Saafi & English/French Dictionary (2016), among other publications.