Is it possible to write a bestseller without using your mother tongue? For decades, French has captivated several non-native writers who have chosen to write in it as their second language. This article explores the journeys of a few non-French writers who embraced French as their literary language.
In the world of literature, language is more than just a medium of expression: it is a lens through which writers view and interpret the world. While many authors find their voice in their native tongue, some are drawn to the allure of a different language, adopting it as their own.
Non-French Writers Who Chose to Write in French
Samuel Beckett: A Simple Language
An Irishman by birth, Samuel Beckett is perhaps one of the most famous non-French writers who adopted French as his primary literary language. Best known for his play En attendant Godot (“Waiting for Godot”), Beckett made a deliberate choice to write in French, believing that it allowed him to escape the “style” and embellishments of his native English. Writing in French forced Beckett to simplify his language, to strip it down to its bare essentials.
Beckett’s work is a testament to how language can shape a writer’s style and philosophy.
Milan Kundera: A Czech Voice in French
Milan Kundera, born in Czechoslovakia, began his literary career writing in Czech. However, after moving to France in 1975, he gradually transitioned to writing in French. Kundera’s decision to switch languages was partly driven by his desire to escape the political turmoil of his homeland and to explore new literary possibilities. His novels, such as La Lenteur (“Slowness”) and L’identité reflect his deep engagement with French culture and philosophy, while still maintaining the ironic and introspective tone characteristic of his earlier Czech works.
Kundera’s journey illustrates how a change in language can lead to a reinvention of one’s literary identity.
Nancy Huston: A Canadian Perspective
Nancy Huston, a Canadian writer, chose French as her language of literary expression after moving to France in the 1970s. Although she continued to write in both English and French, many of her most acclaimed works, including Les Variations Goldberg (“The Goldberg Variations”) and Lignes de faille (“Fault Lines”), were written in French. Huston’s work often explores themes of identity, memory, and language itself, reflecting her own experiences as a bilingual and bicultural author.
For Huston, writing in French is not just a stylistic choice but also a way to navigate the complexities of her dual heritage.
Julien Green: The American Expatriate
Julien Green was born in Paris to American parents and was raised in a bilingual environment. Although he was fluent in both English and French, Green chose to write exclusively in French. His decision was deeply personal, as he felt a profound connection to the French language and culture, despite his American origins. Green’s novels, such as Adrienne Mesurat and Léviathan, delve into the psychological and moral struggles of his characters, often set against the backdrop of a deeply Catholic France.
Green’s work is a poignant exploration of faith, identity, and the human condition, articulated through the language he chose to make his own.
Vassilis Alexakis: A Greek Odyssey in French
Vassilis Alexakis, a Greek writer, found his literary voice in French after moving to France in the 1960s. While he continued to write in Greek, Alexakis became well-known for his French-language novels, including La Langue maternelle (“The Mother Tongue”) and Ap. J.-C. (“After J.C.”). His work often bridges the cultural and linguistic divide between Greece and France, exploring themes of exile, memory, and the search for identity.
Alexakis’s dual-language oeuvre reflects his unique position as a writer who belongs to two worlds and navigates between two languages.
Agota Kristof: From Hungary to French Mastery
Agota Kristof, born in Hungary, moved to Switzerland as a refugee in 1956. She began her literary career writing in French, a language she initially struggled with. Despite these challenges, Kristof produced several critically acclaimed works, including Le Grand Cahier (“The Notebook”), which became a classic of modern literature. Her stark, minimalist style, shaped by the constraints of writing in a non-native language, adds a unique power to her narratives.
Kristof’s work is a compelling example of how language barriers can be transformed into a distinctive literary voice.
Atiq Rahimi: A Voice from Afghanistan
Atiq Rahimi, originally from Afghanistan, is a contemporary novelist and filmmaker who writes in French. He fled Afghanistan in the 1980s due to the Soviet invasion and eventually settled in France, where he began his literary career. His novel Syngué Sabour (“The Patience Stone”), written in French, won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2008. Unlike his first three novels written in Persian, Syngué Sabour is written directly in French, which Rahimi explains by its content: “I needed a language other than my own to talk about taboos”.
Rahimi’s works often explore the themes of war, exile, and the complex realities of life in Afghanistan.
Andreï Makine: Russian Roots, French Expression
Andreï Makine, born in Siberia, is another prominent modern writer who adopted French as his literary language. He moved to France in the 1980s and began writing in French, despite initially struggling with the language. Fun fact: Makine had to present his first manuscripts as translations from Russian to overcome publishers’ skepticism that a newly arrived exile could write fluently in a second language. Makine’s breakthrough came with his novel Le Testament français (“Dreams of My Russian Summers”), which won both the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Médicis in 1995.
His works often reflect a deep nostalgia for his Russian homeland, intertwined with a profound exploration of memory and identity, all expressed through the lens of the French language.
Jonathan Littell: American-born, French-written
Jonathan Littell, born in the United States, is a modern writer who gained international recognition with his novel Les Bienveillantes (“The Kindly Ones”), written in French. The book, which explores the horrors of the Holocaust through the eyes of a Nazi officer, won the Prix Goncourt in 2006. Littell’s choice to write in French, despite being a native English speaker, was influenced by his deep connection to French culture and his desire to explore complex historical themes in a language that he felt offered a different set of nuances.
Julia Kristeva: The Bulgarian Theorist and Novelist
Julia Kristeva, originally from Bulgaria, is a renowned philosopher, psychoanalyst, and novelist who writes primarily in French. She moved to France in the 1960s and became an influential figure in the fields of semiotics and psychoanalysis, writing extensively in French. In addition to her academic work, Kristeva has authored several novels, such as Les Samouraïs and Meurtre à Byzance, which explore complex psychological and philosophical themes.
Her decision to write in French reflects both her intellectual engagement with French culture and her desire to contribute to its literary and philosophical traditions.
To write in a language that is not one’s mother tongue is a bold and often challenging decision. For these non-French writers, French offered not just a new set of words but a new way of thinking, a different rhythm, and a distinct cultural perspective. By adopting French, they expanded the boundaries of their own literary expression and contributed to the richness of French literature. Their works remind us that language, while deeply tied to identity, is also a fluid and adaptable tool!
