The Albert Memmi Reader

388 Pages·2021·3.008 MB·English

by  Albert Memmi, Jonathan Judaken, Michael Lejman

The AlberT MeMMi re Ader
France Overseas: studies in empire and decOl OnizatiOn
Series editors: A. J. B. Johnston, James D. Le Sueur, and Tyler Stovall
T H E
A L B E R T
M E M M I
R E A D E R
Edited by Jonathan Judaken
and Michael Lejman
university OF nebraska press lincOln
© 2020 by the Board of Regents of
the University of Nebraska
All rights reserved
Acknowledgments for the use of copyrighted
material appear on pages 315–18, which constitute
an extension of the copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Memmi, Albert, author. | Judaken, Jonathan,
1968– , editor. | Lejman, Michael, editor.
Title: The Albert Memmi reader / edited by
Jonathan Judakan and Michael Lejman.
Description: Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press,
[2020] | Series: France overseas: studies in empire and
decolonization | Includes bibliographical references
and index. | Summary: “This anthology presents Albert
Memmi’s insights on the legacies of the colonial era,
critical theories of race, and his own story as a French
writer of Tunisian and Jewish descent, allowing readers
to appreciate the full arc of one of the great thinkers
of the twentieth century”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: lccn 2020032203
isbn 9781496203236 (hardback)
isbn 9781496224415 (epub)
isbn 9781496224422 (mobi)
isbn 9781496224439 (pdf)
Subjects: lcgFt: Essays. | Novels.
Classification: lcc pq2625.e39 a78
2020 | ddc 848/.914— dc23
lc record available at https:// lccn .loc .gov /2020032203
Set in Sabon Next by Laura Buis.
Designed by N. Putens.
To Melinda, Jillian, Dylan, and Henry
To Tobbe: my confrère, editor, companion,
friend, confidant, brother- from- another- mother,
who has helped to shape not only all my work
but also the person I have become

ConTenT s
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction by Jonathan Judaken xv
1. Biographical Reflections 1
Sea and Sun (1967) 2
Growing Up as a Minority Child 4
The Stationary Nomad (2000) 5
The Land Within: Interview by Victor Malka (1976) 14
Tunisia, a Minor- League Country:
The State of Affairs (1955– 56) 20
Tunisian Diaries, 1955– 56 27
Preface to Portrait of a Jew (1971) 29
Interview with Albert Memmi by Dov Maimon (2007) 30
The Fecundity of Exile (2003) 33
Passport for a Hoped Immortality (2007) 34
2. The Pillar of Salt (1953) 35
The City 36
The Blind Alley 37
The Sabbath 38
Old Clothes 38
High School 39
The Choice 41
The Others 42
The War 44
The Inventory 48
3. Strangers (1955) 51
4. The Colonizer and the Colonized (1957) 57
Preface to the 1965 Edition 58
Does the Colonial Exist? 60
Camus, or the Colonizer of Good Will (La Nef) (1957) 63
Mythical Portrait of the Colonized 65
Conclusion 67
5. Portrait of a Jew (1962) 69
Revolution and Zionism (1947) 70
Why I Wrote Portrait of a Jew 79
The Problem 83
The Difference 86
The Myth 89
The Shadowy Figure 91
Conclusion— The Oppressed 92
“Little Portrait of a Jew” (1967) 94
6. The Liberation of the Jew (1966) 97
Preface 98
Does the Jew Exist? 98
Assimilation 101
Self- Hatred 105
The Encystment 107
Sanctuary Values 111
Is There a Jewish Culture? 116
The Jew and the Revolution 120
The Way Out 122
Response of Albert Memmi to Richard Marienstras (1966) 127
Preface to the Israeli Edition (1976) 130
7. Dominated Man (1968) 133
Why I Wrote Dominated Man (1969) 134
The Paths of the Revolt 136
A Total Revolt 141
The Negro and the Jew (1968) 145
The Impossible Life of Frantz Fanon (1971) 149
The New Slaves 155