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Topographie idéale pour une agression caractérisée
Voici l'odyssée pathétique d'un émigré qui se retrouve piégé dans les boyaux dédaléens du métro. Cette descente aux enfers prend ici un relief saisissant grâce à un style superbe et à une technique romanesque parfaitement appropriés aux lieux où se déroule - à huis clos - la mise à mort de l'étranger.
- GenresAlgeria
Paperback
First published October 1, 1986
About the author
Rachid Boudjedra
58 books82 followersRashid Boudjedra, رشيد بوجدرة, (born September 5, 1941, Aïn Beïda, Algeria) prolific and revolutionary Algerian writer whose first novel, La Répudiation (1969; The Repudiation), gained notoriety because of its explicit language and frontal assault on Muslim traditionalism in contemporary Algeria. Because of that work, Boudjedra was hailed as the leader of a new movement of experimental fiction.
Boudjedra was given a traditional Muslim upbringing in Algeria and Tunisia, then continued his education in Spain, Algeria, and Paris, where he obtained a degree in philosophy at the Sorbonne. He later taught philosophy in Paris and at Rabat, Morocco, before returning to Algeria and working for the Algerian Bureau of Cinematography.
La Répudiation drew upon Boudjedra’s difficult youth. Conventional values and the smug complacency of the established powers in newly independent Algeria were rejected by Boudjedra, whose unorthodox sexual fury and lyrical savagery defied traditional morality. Boudjedra’s next novel, L’Insolation (1972; “Sunstroke”), evoked experimental states of mind, confounding dream with reality. His later works employed different styles. Topographie idéale pour une agression caractérisée (1975; “Ideal Topography for a Specific Aggression”) took as its protagonist an illiterate Berber peasant drawn to the city by the prospect of work; lost in the capital’s subway, he is bombarded by a host of bewildering scenes and events. In L’Escargot entêté (1977; The Obstinate Snail), a petty bureaucrat exposes his mediocre life and values, symbolizing the incompleteness of the Algerian revolution. With Les 1001 Années de la nostalgie (1979; “1,001 Years of Nostalgia”), Boudjedra created a satire of an imaginary Saharan village confronted with what he viewed as the newest symbol of contemporary cultural imperialism, an American film company. After writing his first several novels in French, Boudjedra switched to Arabic, often translating his own work into French. He returned to writing in French in the 1990s. His later works include Le Démantèlement (1982; “The Dismantling”); Greffe (1984; “Graft”), a collection of poems; Le Désordre des choses (1991; “The Disorder of Things”); Les Figuiers de barbarie (2010; The Barbary Figs); and Printemps (2014; “Spring”).
Boudjedra was given a traditional Muslim upbringing in Algeria and Tunisia, then continued his education in Spain, Algeria, and Paris, where he obtained a degree in philosophy at the Sorbonne. He later taught philosophy in Paris and at Rabat, Morocco, before returning to Algeria and working for the Algerian Bureau of Cinematography.
La Répudiation drew upon Boudjedra’s difficult youth. Conventional values and the smug complacency of the established powers in newly independent Algeria were rejected by Boudjedra, whose unorthodox sexual fury and lyrical savagery defied traditional morality. Boudjedra’s next novel, L’Insolation (1972; “Sunstroke”), evoked experimental states of mind, confounding dream with reality. His later works employed different styles. Topographie idéale pour une agression caractérisée (1975; “Ideal Topography for a Specific Aggression”) took as its protagonist an illiterate Berber peasant drawn to the city by the prospect of work; lost in the capital’s subway, he is bombarded by a host of bewildering scenes and events. In L’Escargot entêté (1977; The Obstinate Snail), a petty bureaucrat exposes his mediocre life and values, symbolizing the incompleteness of the Algerian revolution. With Les 1001 Années de la nostalgie (1979; “1,001 Years of Nostalgia”), Boudjedra created a satire of an imaginary Saharan village confronted with what he viewed as the newest symbol of contemporary cultural imperialism, an American film company. After writing his first several novels in French, Boudjedra switched to Arabic, often translating his own work into French. He returned to writing in French in the 1990s. His later works include Le Démantèlement (1982; “The Dismantling”); Greffe (1984; “Graft”), a collection of poems; Le Désordre des choses (1991; “The Disorder of Things”); Les Figuiers de barbarie (2010; The Barbary Figs); and Printemps (2014; “Spring”).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 20, 2023
Ce roman est poétique et bien écrit et met en évidence un sujet qui avait besoin d’être aborder avant et jusqu’à maintenant en France durant l’augmentation d’agressions contre les émigrés algériens en France.
Tandis que le sujet lui même était et l’est encore pertinent, le style d’écriture en incluant le prolongement d’une a plus de 5 pages est un style très difficile à suivre. Ceci, en plus de la lenteur de l’histoire fait du livre de 250 pages quelque chose de difficile à finir.
Ceci dit, il est clair que Boudjera est un écrivain exceptionnel qui peut facilement entreprendre des défis littéraire comme ce style d’écriture. Je vais sûrement lire ses autres romans car j’ai trouvé phénoménal son courage et sa capacité d’inclure beaucoup de symbolismes controverses dans l’intrigue de l’histoire.
Tandis que le sujet lui même était et l’est encore pertinent, le style d’écriture en incluant le prolongement d’une a plus de 5 pages est un style très difficile à suivre. Ceci, en plus de la lenteur de l’histoire fait du livre de 250 pages quelque chose de difficile à finir.
Ceci dit, il est clair que Boudjera est un écrivain exceptionnel qui peut facilement entreprendre des défis littéraire comme ce style d’écriture. Je vais sûrement lire ses autres romans car j’ai trouvé phénoménal son courage et sa capacité d’inclure beaucoup de symbolismes controverses dans l’intrigue de l’histoire.
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September 18, 2021Ça touchait à une vérité profonde mais c’est dur à lire. Je l’ai fini à la station des Gobelins. On ne peux le lire que dans le métro
November 7, 2021
Le roman de Boudjedra est déroutant et suggestif. Les entrailles exposées du métro de Paris deviennent d'autant plus herniés lorsque le protagoniste est un analphabète de la campagne algérienne.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews