Historical Overview of a New Literary Genre: Autofiction

Karen Ferreira-Meyers
pages: 15 – 35
published online: 22 july 2013

ABSTRACT
In the Francophone literary world, the autofictional genre is no longer a newcomer, but in the Anglophone literatures, the concept is relatively recent. Referring to texts in which the delimiting line between fact and fiction is blurred, autofiction is different from faction in that it applies to narratives written mainly in the first person singular in which author = narrator = (main) protagonist. This article proposes a historical look at the concept, naming and practical applications of autofiction, starting from the Francophone literatures to the inclusion of the genre in other literatures. Particular focus will be on African autofiction.

Keywords: autofiction, faction,, Francophone literatures, African autofiction