History and Herstory: Photography in Gisèle Pineau’s Ady, soleil noir

Beth Kearney, Bonnie Thomas

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference paperChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter examines Gisèle Pineau’s combined use of photography and fictional text in Ady, soleil noir (2021) to imaginatively portray the subjectivity of an overlooked historical figure: Adrienne Fidelin, a Guadeloupean dancer and muse of American photographer Man Ray from 1936 to the outbreak of the Second World War. We argue that through Pineau’s creative approach to the inclusions and omissions of the historical archive, as well as her blending of archival photographs and fictional text, she does more than rewrite history: Pineau foregrounds a specifically female subjectivity and the perspective of a racialized woman hailing from one of France’s former colonies and thus also writes herstory.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWomen's Historical Fiction Across the Globe
EditorsCatherine Barbour, Karunika Kardak
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Pages103-125
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-031-36360-3
ISBN (Print)978-3-031-36359-7, 978-3-031-36362-7
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2025

Publication series

NamePalgrave Studies in Contemporary Women’s Writing
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan Cham
ISSN (Print)2523-8140
ISSN (Electronic)2523-8159

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