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Writing as 'Compearance' in Diário da Queda by Michel Laub

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Baker, Emily 

Abstract

Diário da Queda (2011) by Michel Laub has been described as autoficção (autofiction), the Brazilian translation of the concept coined by Serge Doubrovsky to describe the narrative working-through of trauma through fictional autobiography. This article re-examines the definition of ‘autofiction’ and argues that Laub’s narrative process more closely resembles Jean-Luc Nancy’s notion of a singular voice ‘compearing’ experiences in a process of ‘sharing’ that, when combined with touch and affection can—according to the novel—more successfully help to overcome trauma. At stake are questions regarding the inheritance of Holocaust memory, as well as its politicised deployment in contemporary conflicts.

Description

Keywords

4404 Development Studies, 4408 Political Science, 44 Human Society

Journal Title

Bulletin of Latin American Research

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1470-9856
1470-9856

Volume Title

39

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing Inc.
Sponsorship
AHRC (1227764)