Résumé:
This dissertation examines the traces of war in postwar Iraqi fiction, focusing on Sinan
Antoon's novel The Corpse Washer (2014). Through a close reading of the narrative, it
explores how wounds and ruins manifest in Antoon's work. By adopting a two-dimensional
approach, this study integrates late trauma theory, particularly the work of Cathy Caruth,
which delves into the role of narrative in speaking the wounds, alongside Maurice Blanchot's
philosophical reflections on “the fragmentary,” and the essence of the disaster. Additionally,
it employs a contextual and philosophical framework to understand the significance of ruins
within the novel, examining how physical and metaphorical ruins reflect the devastation of
war. Drawing on the pre-modern tradition of standing before the ruins. The research aims to
shed light on how Antoon's narrative bears witness to the enduring scars and fragmented
realities of his homeland, and how wounds and ruins are made to speak. It also seeks to render
significance to contemporary Arab fiction by giving it value and placing it within the broader
context of world literature. This is particularly relevant given the increasing translations and
growing readership of recent Arab literary works. Ultimately, the dissertation contributes to
the understanding of how modern Arab writers engage aesthetically, ethically, and politically
with contemporary issues.
