Żona magika wobec francuskiej kolonizacji Algierii. Powieść historyczna w ujęciu Briana Moore’a
The Magician’s Wife in view of the colonisation of Algeria. A historical novel according to Brian Moore

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses the last work by Brian Moore, entitled The Magician’s Wife (English edition: 1997, Polish edition: 2000) as a historical novel. The Belfast-born writer who became a Canadian citizen and died in the US, had an ‘Algerian episode’ in his life. In his last years, most plausibly inspired by the historical source entitled Confidences d’un prestidigitateur and authored by Robert Houdin, Moore created an unofficial version of events which were supposed to have contributed to the final conquest of Algeria by the French. The visit that the recognised French illusionist paid to Algeria was connected with a political mission he’d been assigned. His magic tricks were to convince the local leaders that the French possessed the power that would make them victorious. The essence of Moore’s design was to present these actions from the magician’s wife’s point of view, who – as opposed to her prototype – is something more than just a passive witness.

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