Desert by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of Desert with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Desert by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, which follows the young nomad Nour as his tribe is decimated by French and Spanish colonisers, and Lalla, a free-spirited girl living several decades later as she flees her stifling life in search of independence. Throughout the two characters’ respective journeys, the novel explores the enduring impact of colonialism in North Africa, as well as the incredible resilience of the tribes who continue to cling to their freedom. Le Clézio was awarded the Academie française’s Grand Prix Paul Morand in 1980, the year Desert was published. In a prolific literary career spanning over 50 years, he has won a number of other prizes, including France’s prestigious Prix Renaudot and the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Aug 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9782808010900

Book preview

FRENCH-MAURITIAN NOVELIST AND SHORT STORY WRITER

Born in Nice in 1940.

Notable works:

The Interrogation (1963), novel

Fish of Gold (1997), novel

The Refrain of Hunger (2008), novel

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio’s ancestors emigrated from Brittany to Mauritius (which became a British colony shortly after their arrival there) in the late 18th century and acquired British nationality. The first years of Le Clézio’s life were marked by the Second World War (1939-1945) and by the absence of his father, who was working as a doctor in Africa and whom he did not meet until the age of seven, when he travelled to Nigeria to see him. This early trip to Africa, along with the time he spent with an indigenous tribe in Panama from 1970 to 1974, proved a formative experience for him.

While he was studying literature at university, Le Clézio began to write, and his debut novel, The Interrogation, won France’s Prix Renaudot in 1963. This marked the beginning of a prolific literary career, as Le Clézio has written dozens of novels (including young adult novels), short stories, essays and tales to date. He has won numerous awards for his writing, including the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature.

THE CLASH BETWEEN THE WEST AND THE ARAB WORLD

Genre: novel

Reference edition: Le Clézio, J-M. G. (2010) Desert. Trans. Dickson, C. London: Atlantic Books.

1stedition: 1980

Themes: nature, war, money, position of women, immigration, poverty, solitude

Le Clézio’s stay in Panama profoundly changed him, both as a person and a writer. Specifically, he altered his writing style, which was previously opaque and complex, to make it clearer and more accessible. Desert, which was published in 1980, reflects this new style. It garnered both popular and critical recognition, and Le Clézio won the Academie française’s Grand Prix Paul Morand later that year.

The novel tells the story of two teenagers, Nour and Lalla, who are both from the desert but live several decades apart. It encourages readers to reflect on individuals’ relationships with both other people and the world around them.

Desert alternates between