A mosaic of identities: the phenomenon of Jewish writers in Montreal

Vol.38,No.1(2017)

Abstract
Among all "minority" cultural groups coexisting in the frame of modern and contemporary Montreal, the Jews occupy a leading position in number of authors and works of art originating from their community. After a brief essayistic introduction, dedicated to the problematic definition of a "Jewish writer", this contribution will propose a typology of these, classified according to their languages (English, Yiddish, French), historical periods, and major themes developed by them. We will realize to what extent the "Jewishness", a concept promoted by Albert Memmi, took various forms during the 20th century, constituting nowadays a real "mosaic of identities". Pierre Nepveu is convinced that Jewish literature in Montreal represents the prototype of a postmodern identity crossroads, situated "at the intersection of cultures and signs belonging to different horizons, often conflicting; tradition and modernity; Europe and America; French and English". The examples examined by us seem to confirm his thesis.

Keywords:
Canadian literature; Montreal; Jewishness; identity; Yiddish

Pages:
35–43
References

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