La poétique du voyage et de l’ailleurs dans l’œuvre de Panaït Istrati
The Poetics of Travelling and of Elsewhere in Panait Istrati’s work

Summary/Abstract: Among the many travelling writers – or writing travelers – of the 19th century, pride of place must be given to Panaït Istrati, a French speaking Rumanian writer (18184-1935). Deeply rooted in Rumania with his mother but as deeply yearning for freedom and adventure with his greek father, he who wrote Mes Départs is definitely linked with the idea of departure and movement. He develops a poetry based on stories of travelling and other places, emphasizing the tension between what is at the care of things and what is elsewhere. Indeed, if the tells about the Mediterranean Sea, he also evokes the Haïdoucs, he describes the Baragan, he depicts the cosmopolitan city of Braïla. He deliberately chose to write in French, but so as to be more faithful to his memories as a child or adolescent, in order to depict true-to-life scenes or atmospheres; he also used Rumanian words, genuine and colorful. Thus his writing strongly weaves together and unites two identities – Rumanian and Greek -, two worlds – East and West -, and two language – Rumanian and French. Telling about his travels and wanderings as the oriental storyteller he never ceased to be beneath the French writer he has become, Istrati finally achieved universality.

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