Chantal Chawaf

Chantal Chawaf (born 1943) is a French writer.

She was born in Paris, during the World War II. During her childhood, she studied art at l'Ecole du Louvre and literature. She travelled and lived for some years in Europe, in the Middle East and North America. In 1974, she started publishing at the Editions des Femmes,[1] created in relation to the MLF (Mouvement de Liberation des Femmes) by the leading French feminist Antoinette Fouque. Chawaf’s first text, Retable. la rêverie, started what critics called "Écriture féminine".[2] Books which also belong to this movement are; Cercoeur (1975) and Maternité (1979).

In her books, Chawaf explores the theme of a mother-daughter relationship and attempts to realize the potential of words to free the female unconscious, to de-intellectualize her body and give voice to an inner experience.[3] Chantal Chawaf work on birth and life giving leads in her last books to an ecocriticsm of the contemporary society.[4]

She has travelled frequently in the United States where her work is translated and studied in universities.[5]

She is the author of many novels, one play and two essays, and is editor at a French publisher.

Contents

Bibliography

Non fictional writings

Translated books

Further reading

References

  1. ^ http://www.desfemmes.fr/catalogue/chantal_chawaf.htm
  2. ^ Bosshard, Marianne, "Chantal Chawaf", Collection Monographique, Editions Rodopi (1999),
  3. ^ Kay, Sarah, Cave Terence , Bowie Malcolm," Short History of French Literature" - Page 290, Oxford University Press (2006)
  4. ^ http://www.uga.edu/rom/syllabi/2009_fall/FREN-8600-Krell.pdf
  5. ^ http://www.wellesley.edu/French/longdescriptions/216long.html

External links