Yasmina Khadra et Driss Chraïbi comme représentants du roman policier du Maghreb : pratiques et politiques éditoriales en Italie

Abstract

This article examines the publishing trajectories of Algerian author Yasmina Khadra and Moroccan author Driss Chraïbi, with a particular focus on the publication and reception of their crime fiction in Italy. Both writers are regarded as leading figures of the detective genre in their respective countries, and their literary production extends well beyond the realm of so-called paraliterature. By analysing the editorial policies and practices that have shaped the Italian reception of francophone Maghrebi crime fiction through these two emblematic case studies, this article offers clear evidence of the persistent marginalisation of the genre in Italy. Despite a slight improvement over the past thirty years, the attention given to Maghrebi crime fiction in the Italian publishing landscape remains limited and fragmented. Both authors are published by small or medium-sized publishers, the publication order is often non-chronological, and several titles are either missing or out of print. This disjointed and incomplete transmission has significant effects on how Italian readers access, interpret, and evaluate both the genre and its authors. In particular, the lack of continuity in Italian editorial choices and in translation strategies contributes to a perception of incoherence and undervaluation.