by Alison Rice (Author)
Worldwide Women Writers in Paris examines a new literary phenomenon consisting of an unprecedented number of women from around the world who have come to Paris and become authors of written works in French. It takes as its starting point a series of filmed interviews conducted in the French capital, a set of recorded conversations motivated by a desire to pay homage to these discrete voices and images at a moment characterized by impressive diversity. Their individual paths to France and to French are noteworthy, and these authors of different generations and varying places of origin emphasize their singularity. However, the juxtaposition of their reflections reveals that many have faced similar difficulties when learning the French language, adapting to life in France, and many have encountered forms of prejudice in the publishing world related to their ethnicity or gender. These challenges have led them, each in an idiosyncratic manner, to tackle tough topics in their work and
to respond to adversity by finding effective creative expressions.
Author Biography
Alison Rice, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies, University of Notre Dame
(Lexington Books, 2006) and Polygraphies: Francophone Women Writing Algeria (University of Virginia Press, 2012) focus on literature by authors from Algeria and Morocco who write in French. She is the author of a website featuring filmed interviews with eighteen worldwide women writers in Paris:
www.francophonemetronomes.com.