French Literature Reviews - 2026
É. Malanda, L’Afrique dans les romans pour la jeunesse en France et en Allemagne (1991-2010). Les pièges de la bonne intention
Comparative and World Literature
Review published in Acta Fabula, critical dossier "African Studies: New Approaches, New Stakes" (November 2020, vol. 21, no. 10): Christophe Cosker, Anticolonialist Intention in Franco-German Youth Literature Set in Africa (1991–2010)
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Élodie Malanda
L’Afrique dans les romans pour la jeunesse en France et en Allemagne (1991-2010).
Les pièges de la bonne intention
Honoré Champion, collection "Francophonies", 2019. EAN13: 9782745350718.
584 p.
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How do children's and young adult novels in France and Germany portray Sub-Saharan Africa?
Fifty years after independence, these novels frequently express a clear desire to distance themselves from colonial heritage. Yet this "good intention" routinely runs up against certain limitations. The result is a gap between the values explicitly championed by the texts and those they actually convey. Drawing on a corpus of over 130 children's and young adult novels concerning Sub-Saharan Africa published in France and Germany between 1991 and 2010, Élodie Malanda identifies the manifestations of this discrepancy and explores narratological avenues for bridging it.
Élodie Malanda holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle and is currently based at the International Youth Library (Stiftung Internationale Jugendbibliothek).
The study of children's and young adult literature often involves analyzing how cultural representations are constructed for younger audiences. This field frequently explores the intersection of pedagogical goals, narrative techniques, and the transmission of historical or social perspectives. Within the context of European literature, the portrayal of Sub-Saharan Africa has evolved significantly in the decades following the independence of many African nations. Scholars in this area investigate how contemporary texts navigate the legacy of colonial history while attempting to foster cross-cultural understanding, often highlighting the complexities inherent in representing distant geographies and societies.
Élodie Malanda's L’Afrique dans les romans pour la jeunesse en France et en Allemagne (1991-2010). Les pièges de la bonne intention examines a corpus of over 130 children's and young adult novels concerning Sub-Saharan Africa published in France and Germany between 1991 and 2010. The text identifies a discrepancy between values explicitly championed by these works and those they actually convey, exploring narratological avenues for bridging this gap. Readers interested in the evolution of post-colonial themes within European youth literature may find this comparative study of French and German narratives relevant.