Marie-Aude Murail: Involving the Other

Abstract

The most thorough analysis in Russian to date, this article is devoted to the works of the contemporary French author M.- A. Murail, who specializes in young adult literature, and who is idolized by her audiences in France and holds numerous literary awards. In Russia, her books were ‘discovered’ by the Samokat publishing house. All brought out by Samokat, her four books translated into Russian each target a different reader group, from 6 to 18-year-olds. Murail’s appeal is in her ability to find the right themes, plots, and narration method for each readership, and that she never shies away from modernity’s most uncomfortable topics, but interprets those in an easily comprehensible manner and language. Murail’s work is examined through its main topics: family relationships, the conflict between traditional and new societies, and the problem of the other. Also analyzed are the stylistic features that define this kind of prose as dynamic, easy to understand and filled with irony.