French Language & Literature: Francophone authors

About this page

This page is intended to help you find books by francophone authors, especially novels, that the library owns. Therefore, most of the links will take you to the library catalog, MARQCAT, and give you lists of the books that the MU library owns by each author.

There are also links to other websites and sources which will help you to identify other francophone authors.

Here are journals to be aware of:

Contemporary French and Francophone Studies
From Ebsco, embargoed by 18 months (i.e. current 8-9 issues not available online).
Contemporary French Civilization
"An interdisciplinary journal devoted to the study of French-speaking cultures throughout the world."
2005 - present available online; earlier volumes available in print (call #: DC 1 .C65x).
Nouvelles Études Francophones
"Revue officielle du Conseil international d'études francophones."
Link goes to Marqcat record, because the journal is available from two separate vendors, for two different time periods.
Yale French Studies
- This link opens in a new window
2-year delay.
A journal "devoted to French and Francophone literature and culture. Each volume is conceived and organized by a guest editor or editors around a particular theme or author."

MENA area authors

MENA = Middle East and North Africa.

Ben Jelloun, Tahar
Morocco.
Boudjedra, Rachid
Algeria
Bouraoui, Nina
Born in France (1967) to a French mother and an Algerian father; her childhood was spent in Algeria, but the family returned to France when she was an adolescent.
Chedid, Andrée
Egyptian-born poet and novelist.
Chraïbi, Driss
Morocco.
Dib, Mohammed
Algeria
Djaout, Tahar
Algeria.
Djebar, Assia
From Algeria.
Khadra, Yasmina
Algeria. Khadra is the pen name of Mohammed Moulessehoul. While an officer in the Algerian Army, he could only write safely using a pseudonym.
Khatibi, Abdelkebir
Morocco
Khoury-Ghata, Vénus
Lebanon
Maalouf, Amin
Lebanon
Meddeb, Abdelwahab
Tunisia. Writer, poet, and scholar in several fields.
Memmi, Albert
Tunisia
Mimouni, Rachid
Algeria.
Mokeddem, Malika
Algeria
Sebbar, Leila
Algeria

Sub-Saharan African authors

Barry, Mariama
Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, but of Guinean descent.
Bessora
A very international author! Born in Brussels, the daughter of a Gabonese diplomat, and the grand-daughter of a Swiss confectioner. Has won a couple of literary prizes for her work.
Beti, Mongo
Cameroon.
Beyala, Calixthe
Cameroon
Bugul, Ken
Sénégal
Bâ, Mariama
From Sénégal. She only wrote two books, but they are very well regarded.
Camara, Laye
Guinea
Diome, Fatou
Sénégal
Diop, Boubacar Boris
Sénégal.
Fall, Aminata Sow
Sénégal
Mabanckou, Alain
Congolese-French, now living in the US
Miano, Léonora
Cameroon.
Ndiaye, Marie
Sénégal.
Sembène, Ousmane
Sénégal. Also a film director and producer.
Senghor, Léopold Sédar, 1906-2001
Sénégal. A writer, poet and politician.
Tadjo, Véronique
Ivory Coast.
Waberi, Abdourahman
Djibouti.
Werewere-Liking
Born in Cameroon, currently lives in Côte d'Ivoire. She is a writer, playwright and actor.

North & Central American authors

From the Caribbean (Guadeloupe, Haïti, Martinique) and Canada (mostly Quebec, but also New Brunswick).

Agnant, Marie-Célie
Born in Haïti, currently living in Quebec.
Aquin, Hubert
Quebec, Canada.
Blais, Marie-Claire
Canada
Brossard, Nicole
Quebec, Canada.
Chamoiseau, Patrick
Martinique.
Chauvet, Marie Vieux
Haïti
Condé, Maryse
Guadeloupe
Confiant, Raphael
Martinique
Césaire, Aimé
Martinique.
Fanon, Frantz
From Martinique originally, but an honorary Algerian. A political writer above all.
Glissant, Édouard
Martinique. A poet, essayist, and fiction writer in several forms.
Hébert, Anne
Quebec, Canada
Laferrière, Dany
From Haïti, now lives in Canada.
Maillet, Antonine
Born in New Brunswick, Canada.
Métellus, Jean
Haïti.
Pineau, Gisèle
Guadeloupe
Rioux, Hélène
Quebec, Canada.
Roumain, Jacques
Haïti
Roy, Gabrielle
Canada.
Tremblay, Michel
Quebec, Canada

Reference books for finding more authors

African Writers by C. Brian Cox (Editor)
Call Number: Ref PL 8010 .A453
Publication Date: 1996
A two-volume set, also in print only.
The Cambridge Companion to Canadian Literature by Eva-Marie Kröller (Editor)
Call Number: PR 9184.3 .C34 2004
Publication Date: 2004
The Cambridge Companion to Postcolonial Literary Studies by Neil Lazarus (Editor)
Call Number: PN 56.C63 C36 2004
Publication Date: 2004
The Cambridge Companion to the African Novel by F. Abiola Irele
Call Number: PL 8010.6 .C36 2009
Publication Date: 2009
Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2003 by Daniel Balderston; Mike Gonzalez (Editors)
Call Number: Raynor Ref PQ 7081.A1 E558 2004
Publication Date: 2004
Single user license.
Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century by Steven R. Serafin (Editor)
Call Number: Ref PN 771 .E5 1999
Publication Date: 1998
This four-volume set is available in print only. It has a geographic index of the authors -- this allows you to look by country.
The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature by Eugene Benson; William Toye (Editors)
Call Number: Raynor Ref PR 9180.2 .O93 1997
Publication Date: 1998
Check MARQCAT record for availability and location.

Websites for finding more authors

Femmes écrivains et littérature africaine
(women writers and African literature))
A neat site, with lists of authors, interviews, links to off-site reviews and more. It also has an English-language version (modified), which may be helpful.
Note: the alphabetical list of authors is extensive. However, it includes many authors who have published only a single book, and their works are hard to find.
Catégorie: Écrivain francophone
(French Wikipedia index page)
This page leads you to more index pages, organized by country. This is the French Wikipedia, so it is IN French!