Une réécriture du Grand Bond en avant en Chine contemporaine : Subversion et conciliation dans le Si Shu de Yan Lianke

Yan Lianke is among the most well-known authors in contemporary Chinese literature. Celebrated in the West for his works banned in the People’s Republic of China, he is at the same time a renowned figure in Chinese intellectual circles. The purpose at the hearth of this thesis is to analyse how the author defines his own identity between the two poles of subversion to power and conciliation. We will consider in particular the way in which, in his novel Si shu (2011), Yan Lianke attempts to re-write the episodes of the Great Leap Forward and the Great Famine that was caused by it (1959-1961). In order to do so, we compare it to historiographic works, literature and films available in Chinese on the topic. We argue moreover that this novel has an important place in the evolution of Yan Lianke’s work and identity, because it marks the passing point form his engagement towards society to a gradual withdrawal into himself.