Anima de Wajdi Mouawad: El trauma y la violencia de la guerra en la construcción identitaria del exiliado

The main objective of this article is the critical study of the novel Anima by the Lebanese born and naturalised Canadian writer Wajdi Mouawad (1968-). This self-fictional work, characterized by a polyphony of animal storytellers, seduces and discomforts the reader as he or she witnesses atrocious and savage acts: rape, murder, torture and war. Each chapter brings us closer to the consequences of a linguistic, ideological, cultural and geographical exile derived from the Lebanese civil war that the author himself suffered during his childhood. Mouawad, considered a committed writer, reflects on the identity of the exile: an individual who has been a victim of loss, loneliness, violence and trauma. The main objective of this article is the critical study of the novel Anima by the Lebanese born and naturalised Canadian writer Wajdi Mouawad (1968-). This self-fictional work, characterized by a polyphony of animal storytellers, seduces and discomforts the reader as he or she witnesses atrocious and savage acts: rape, murder, torture and war. Each chapter brings us closer to the consequences of a linguistic, ideological, cultural and geographical exile derived from the Lebanese civil war that the author himself suffered during his childhood. Mouawad, considered a committed writer, reflects on the identity of the exile: an individual who has been a victim of loss, loneliness, violence and trauma. L’objectif principal de cet article est l’étude critique du roman Anima par l’écrivain né au Liban et naturalisé canadien Wajdi Mouawad (1968-). Cet ouvrage d’autofiction, caractérisé par une polyphonie de narrateurs animaliers, séduit et incommode le lecteur qui devient témoin d’actes atroces et sauvages : viols, meurtres, tortures et guerre. Chaque chapitre nous rapproche des conséquences d’un exil linguistique, idéologique, culturel et géographique dérivé de la guerre civile libanaise que l’auteur lui-même a subi pendant son enfance. Mouawad, considéré comme un écrivain engagé, réfléchit à l’identité de l’exilé : un individu qui a été victime de la perte, de la solitude, de la violence et du traumatisme.