The two dramatic languages in Kateb Yacine's theatre

Résumé du document

Kateb Yacine is the most famous Algerian playwright. Born in 1929, Kateb Yacine lived in Algeria until 1951, working as a journalist for Alger Républicain before settling in France, then in Italy and finally in Germany. He returned to Algeria in the early seventies, while directing a theatre group at Sidi-Bel-Abbes. In 1946, he published his first collection of poems, ?Soliloques', before achieving fame in 1956 for his novel ?Nedjma', which treats the quest for a restored Algeria in a mythic manner. Its discontinuous chronology and multiple narrative voices have deeply influenced Francophone North African literature, and writers elsewhere in the Third World.

Extraits

[...] The two dramatic languages in Kateb Yacine's theatre Kateb Yacine is the most famous algerian playwright. Born in 1929, Kateb Yacine lived in Algeria until 1951, working as a journalist for Alger Républicain before settling in France, then in Italy and finally in Germany. He returned to Algeria in the early seventies, directing a theatre group at Sidi-Bel-Abbes. In 1946, he published his first collection of poems, Soliloques, before achieving fame in 1956 for his novel Nedjma, which treats the quest for a restored Algeria in a mythic manner. [...]

[...] This event has left its mark in Kateb Yacine life. In 1945, Kateb Yacine was 16 old. His studies at the College of Sétif were interrupted by his arrest, following his participation in this nationalist demonstration in Setif. Kateb was imprisoned without trial and released a few months later. During this imprisonment of Kateb, his mother, who, believing him to have been killed during the demonstration, suffered a mental breakdown. The Encircled Corpse opened on a long monologue declaimed by Lakhadar, the leader of the demonstration, who was killed at la rue des vandales the Vandal Street As if memory refused to leave the corpse of the hero, his rembrances and visions invaded the scene et borrowed from the hero dead his voice to evoke in disorder, his chilhood, his father, his love, and his political action. [...]

[...] Thanks to the experience he obtained in his collaboration with Jean- Marie Serreau, he producted himsel his new plays. He chose to perform away from the conventional theaters and presented his plays in ruines of Roman theatres, on the places of villages, garages or in disued factories. According Kateb, this political theater which staged the daily problems ot people didn't need sophitiscated accessories. He used simple costume, minimal props and little scenery. Thanks of these means, he treated about poverty, injustice, bureaucraty, exploitation, emigration . As in the agit-pop drama, the actors used the colloquial language. [...]

[...] These two languages are so specific and different that we may well wonder if they were conceived by the same playright. So, my main purpose in this brief essay will be to throw light on the development of Yacine dramaturgy, to attempt to explain and to justify the meanig of his aesthetical choice and emphasize the features of these new dramatic shapes invented by the Algerian author. But, first of all, I would try to illuminate the secret of Kateb Yacine's passion for theater. [...]

[...] The scene is like a circle : between beginning and the end, there is no evolution. The insurrection was repressed and the leaders arrested or killeds. The Choral Song which give rhythms to the play, invites the militants who escaped death and who scattered in mountains, no to fight , but but to still in their refuge until the hour of straggle will ring : Militants du parti du Peuple ! Ne quittez pas vos refuges ! L'heure des combats est encore loin. [...]