Dominique Fernandez: Psychobiographical Criticism or Psychobiographical Fiction?

Abstract

Dominique Fernandez is the author of a method of analysis for artists and their works that he calls “psychobiography”. It establishes parallels between the analysis of works and events in the life of an artist, insisting on the identification of a childhood trauma that left an indelible mark on the style of the artist. In this article we show how he applies this method in his biographical novels: La course à l’abîme, Tribunal d’honneur and Dans la main de l’ange. We analyze the way in which biographemes are reconstituted in order to give a coherent vision of the biographee. We emphasize the thin line that separates reality from fiction, or biography from novel.