Chantal Chawaf

Biographical Information

Chantal Chawaf was born in Paris in September 1943, when doctors pulled her from her mother's dying body after a shell hit her parents' car (during WWII). The details of this incident and its effects upon her life are detailed in Chawaf's first novel, Retable/La Rêverie, translated as Mother Love/Mother Earth.

Chawaf studied Classics in Paris, then married a Syrian and moved to Syria, where she had two children, Rayane and Jinane. Upon moving back to France, Chawaf began her writing career and travelled extensively in the Near East, Europe, the United States, and Canada. Her trip to the U.S. and Canada is reflected in her 15th novel, Rédemption.

Summary of Major Themes

Two major themes appear in Chawaf's novels: the relationship between the mother and daughter, and reconceptualizing love and sensuality from a feminine perspective.

The major theme of Chawaf's literary essays is the question of how to write from the body and to allow the body -- particularly the female body -- to speak through writing.

Bibliography

NOVELS IN FRENCH

Le Manteau Noir. Editions Flammarion, 1998.

Vers la lumière. Editions des femmes, 1994.

L'éclaircie. Editions Flammarion, 1990.

Rédemption. Editions Flammarion, 1988.

L'intérieur des heures. Editions des femmes, 1987.

Fées de toujours. (co-authored with Jinane Chawaf) Editions Plon, 1987.

Elwina, le roman fée. Editions Flammarion, 1985.

La Vallée incarnate. Editions Flammarion, 1984.

Les Surfaces de l'orage. Editions Ramsay, 1982.

Crépusculaires. Editions Ramsay, 1981.

Landes. Editions Stock, 1980.

Maternité. Editions Stock, 1979.

Rougeâtre. Editions Jean-Jacques Pauvert, 1978.

Le Soleil et la Terre. Editions Jean-Jacques Pauvert, 1977.

Blé de semence. Mercure de France, 1976.

Chair chaude. (for the theatre) Mercure de France, 1976.

Cercoeur. Mercure de France, 1975.

Retable, La rêverie. Editions des femmes, 1974.

LITERARY ESSAYS AND BOOKS IN FRENCH

"Puissance de langue dans la langue de l'impuissance," in Marguerite Duras: rencontres à Cerisy. 1994.

Le corps et le verbe: la langue en sense inverse. Presses de la Renaissance, 1992.

"Donner aux émotions leur écriture." La Quinzaine Littéraire 532 (1989).

"Contre la fiction." Roman 18 (1987).

"Ecrire à partir du corps vivant." Lendemains 30 (1983).

"La chair linguistique." Les Nouvelles Littéraires 2534 (1976).

ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS

Mother Love / Mother Earth. Translation of Retable, La rêverie. Trans. Monique Nagem. New York: Garland, 1992.

Redemption. Translation of Rédemption. Trans. Monique Nagem. Normal: Dalkey Archive, 1992.

"Warmth: A Bloodsong," Plays by French and Francophone Women. Ed. Christiane P. Makward and Judith G. Miller. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press, pp. 229-246.

Take a Closer Look ...

A. Essays on Writing

[Most of Chawaf's essays on writing have not yet appeared in English. To take a closer look at these essays, browse through these summaries.]

"Ecrire à partir du corps vivant." Lendemains 8 (1983), pp. 118-125.

Summary:

Note: I would like to thank Julie Buttram for assisting with the translation of this interview.

"Aujourd'hui." Roman No. 5 (Aut 1983), pp. 135-140.

Summary:

Note: I would like to thank Margaret Simon for assisting with the translation of this interview.

"Donner aux émotions leur écriture." La Quinzaine Littéraire No. 532 (1989), p.

Summary:

Note: I would like to thank Julie Buttram for assisting with the translation of this interview.

Internet Sites

Chantal Chawaf's son has created a wonderful French website, called "Site Chantal Chawaf." It contains extracts from Chawaf's books, manuscript pages, current projects, and much more. You can reach it here.

The Chantal Chawaf Newsletter is a biannual publication in English, which includes interviews, articles, student papers, and news concerning Chawaf Studies. You can reach it here.

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