Egyptian Heart, French Tongue

Abstract

Only a few traces of Egyptian Francophone writers exist among the pages of old, outdated books and anthologies. Even though Albert Cossery, Ahmed Rassim, Georges Henein, Joyce Mansour, and Edmond Jabès were stranded in the land and language of diaspora, they stayed Egyptian at heart. The author, a novelist, poet, and critic himself, takes each of these writers and individually explores the aesthetics and impact of their work to ultimately consider the question: Is what they wrote considered Egyptian literature, or does it remain Francophone and, thus, French literature? In the process, the author articulates his appreciation that these writers exhibit a deep underlying Egyptian sensitivity.