Littérature et sida, alors et encore

In the ‘post-AIDS era’, three decades after the emergence of HIV, two generations of researchers take stock of its representations in French literature. A whole constellation of narratives combining autobiography and fiction has formed around the works of Guibert and other authors (Hocquenhem, Lagarce, Dustan), from the initial testimonials to texts historicising AIDS, internalising grief, or protesting against AIDS/HIV discrimination. Calling on a variety of approaches (literary studies, gender studies, and cultural studies), this volume questions the current relevance of this phenomenon and its multiple personal, political, aesthetic, and ethical implications. HIV/AIDS proves of hermeneutic value in exploring issues relating to the body and illness, to desire and death, and to breaking silence and rethinking identity.