From religious text to fictional writing

The aim of this book is to study the process and modalities of the discourse of the religious text in the contemporary French-language Maghreb novel. It seeks to decipher the attitudes, ranging from empathy to subversion - the latter characterized by prejudice, stereotypes or a desire to conform to the expectations of Western readers - by which authors choose to invest the historical origins of Islam in their novelistic fictions. Assia Djebar, Salim Bachi, Driss Chraïbi and Mohammed Ennaji invite readers to explore a different form of fictional narrative, whose aim is not only to criticize the ways of thinking of their societies, the Muslim world and the West, but also and above all to build bridges between two cultures with divergent visions. In so doing, they invite the reader to reflect on a peaceful and tolerant Islam that advocates diversity, values inter-religious discourse and promotes plurality and openness.