The Mediterranean between borders and crossings. The writing of two shores: a comparison of the works of Giorgio Todde, Yasmina Khadra and Nourredine Saadi. The Mediterranean is a plural space, containing multiple cultural variations, where it is impossible to determine borders between the many diverse populations as their history and influences have always been entangled. Still, no one description of the people who inhabit this space could ever be enough to encompass their diversity which allows the question to be asked: has the concept of “Mediterranean” really ever existed? In the occidental world the existence of Mediterranean cuisine, climate, culture, etc. artificially “unite” and then reassemble this space ideologically in a way that reactivates its colonial history. Whereas in Arab literature the distinction between bahr al-Rum (sea of the Romans) and bahr al-Shamm (sea of Shamm, modern-day Syria and Lebanon), shows that conceptually there is a clear division between the two worlds. In that sense, the Mediterranean is much more of a crossroads between cultures, a space of intermediation, which defines itself through movement and exchange. The “object” in common between all the cultures involved is the sea, so that concept has evolved to represent borders and crossings simultaneously. This sea functions as a kind of “water mirror”, reflecting the images of others to provoke a questioning of identity and existing relationships. The works of Yasmina Khadra, Nourredine Saadi and Giorgio Todde, are particularly relevant in so far as they all describe this same space with their own differences; one highlighting the tragedy of the Algerian people, another illustrating a space that fluctuates between interior and exterior to be able to represent the difficult condition of entre deux, and the third representing a place of encounters and confrontation.
Il Mediterraneo tra confine e crocevia. Scritture delle due rive: le opere di Giorgio Todde, Yasmina Khadra e Nourredine Saadi a confronto
CANU, CLAUDIA
2011-01-01
Abstract
The Mediterranean between borders and crossings. The writing of two shores: a comparison of the works of Giorgio Todde, Yasmina Khadra and Nourredine Saadi. The Mediterranean is a plural space, containing multiple cultural variations, where it is impossible to determine borders between the many diverse populations as their history and influences have always been entangled. Still, no one description of the people who inhabit this space could ever be enough to encompass their diversity which allows the question to be asked: has the concept of “Mediterranean” really ever existed? In the occidental world the existence of Mediterranean cuisine, climate, culture, etc. artificially “unite” and then reassemble this space ideologically in a way that reactivates its colonial history. Whereas in Arab literature the distinction between bahr al-Rum (sea of the Romans) and bahr al-Shamm (sea of Shamm, modern-day Syria and Lebanon), shows that conceptually there is a clear division between the two worlds. In that sense, the Mediterranean is much more of a crossroads between cultures, a space of intermediation, which defines itself through movement and exchange. The “object” in common between all the cultures involved is the sea, so that concept has evolved to represent borders and crossings simultaneously. This sea functions as a kind of “water mirror”, reflecting the images of others to provoke a questioning of identity and existing relationships. The works of Yasmina Khadra, Nourredine Saadi and Giorgio Todde, are particularly relevant in so far as they all describe this same space with their own differences; one highlighting the tragedy of the Algerian people, another illustrating a space that fluctuates between interior and exterior to be able to represent the difficult condition of entre deux, and the third representing a place of encounters and confrontation.
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