RELIEF - REVUE ÉLECTRONIQUE DE LITTÉRATURE FRANÇAISE

Edited by Arnaud Genon and Régine Battiston

Is self-writing compatible with children’s literature? The question may seem paradoxical, since autobiography as theorized by Philippe Lejeune has long been conceived for an adult readership. Few texts for young readers therefore fall strictly within this genre. Yet children’s literature abounds in forms inspired by self-writing — first-person narratives, fictional diaries, epistolary novels or fabricated testimonies — all of which aim to create a sense of closeness with the reader. The expressed subjectivity produces an illusion of authenticity that fosters identification and empathy, while playing with the boundaries between fiction and truth. The “I” that speaks in these texts does not directly refer to the author; it stages a narrative voice that replays or subverts autobiographical codes through a play of masks, revelations and concealments. This partially or deceptively autobiographical “I” thus becomes a tool for exploring identity fractures, cultural tensions or intimate wounds, as well as for articulating family or social violence and sketching paths toward resilience. In this sense, autobiographical fiction opens a space for expression and recognition, while introducing young readers to the complex interplay between memory, imagination and the truth of the self.

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