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Languages of the Exile: On Agota Kristof’s The Illiterate
Abstract
The article examines the autobiographical prose of Agota Kristof, a francophone writer of Hungarian descent. A thorough reading of The Illiterate, an autobiographical book written in 2004, provides a starting point for reflections on the problem of choosing a language when living in exile. Decisions like this are vital for the identity of artists and writers and can be variously motivated. The article describes the path taken by Kristof and the way she refers to it, while the eponymous metaphor of an illiterate person refers the reader to the paradox of losing and regaining speech through a new language. The analysis of her works here is confronted with the perspective of Polish emigration writers (Konstanty A. Jeleński and Gustaw Herling-Grudziński), which creates a unique dialogue of exiles seeking the best means of expression for their own longings and desires.
Keywords:
Agota Kristof, identity, exile, languageDetails
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
