"In My Mind I See Cross-Roads for Everything I Believe In": The Way Home in Alexis Wright's Croire en l'incroyable (Believe in the Unbelievable) and Le Pacte du serpent arc-en-ciel

The idea of crossroads opens up the idea of horizons pregnant with hope and reviviscence.¹ It points toward the possibility of a life that is dynamic and not solely defined by inflicted wounds and forced separations. Conceptualizing and firmly believing in crossroads as a metaphor for thinking and for nostalgia is not easy.² Undertaking this difficult task, however, opens up possibilities to move from painful memories into action, to refuse the unacceptable, and to counter discourses arguing that the ancient (the past, the ever-present immemorial) has been erased or does not matter. Different directions, points of departures, and possible routes indeed emerge when observing crossroads.

This article draws and reflects on the fertility of the notion of crossroads that Alexis Wright explores in Croire en l'incroyable (Believe in the Unbelievable, 2000), an essay—translated by Sabine Porte—which thus far has been published only in French, in book format. It was commissioned by Marc de Gouvenain, the founder and then editor of the Antipodes Collection at Actes Sud, a major publishing house in France. This article uses the notion as an entry point to shed light on the poetic and thematic connections between Croire en l'incroyable and Le Pacte du serpent arc-en-ciel, a collection of short stories by Wright—translated by Sylvie Kandé and Marc de Gouvenain—also published by Actes Sud in 2002.

Expanding on the notion of crossroads is justified by the connections established by or in the two works between fiction, reality, and questions posed to the readers, as well as between English, French, and Indigenous languages, specifically Waanyi and Warumungu (Wright, Grog 8; Pacte 15, 31). Both works ask readers to carefully consider the past, the present, and the possible modes of action to address the continuing legacies of colonization and contemporary formations of disadvantage for Aboriginal people in Australia.³ Readers are also invited to better understand Aboriginal people's "mindscape" (Wright, Croire 7), their "cultural," "physical," and "political landscapes" (Croire 13), and the beauty, energy, and extraordinary possibilities that arise from their world.⁴

The first part of this article provides contextual elements about the publication of the two books in French as well as a presentation of Croire en l'incroyable that, in our view, could stand as a reference work for courses on (Indigenous) Australian studies. The second part explores the spatial, mental, and affective meanings held by the notion of crossroads and associated notions of mindscape and country. Reflecting on such notions encourages readers to seek and see connections, between histories, times, people, and places, as well as to develop better ways of paying attention to others' paths, tracks, sufferings, hopes, and stories. The third part reflects on an ethics of responsibility and care to which Wright invites all readers by urging them to refuse to turn a blind eye on injustice and Aboriginal people's suffering, especially children's suffering. In this article, we put forward that thinking in terms of crossroads and believing the unbelievable is making "a choice of life over death" (Croire 25).

This article prolongs a conversation between Wright's work and its international readership and establishes, in particular, further dialogue between her writing and Francophone thinkers and poets. It was written collaboratively by two French scholars: Philippe Guerre, a poet and philosopher, and Estelle Castro-Koshy, a scholar of Aboriginal literature who has worked since 2003 with Indigenous Australian writers and performers. We share a passion for literature along with anticolonial convictions. The latter are to a great extent founded on our growing up with stories of the Resistance and understanding that we owe our lives and freedom to those who fought and went before us.

Editorial and Publication Context

Wright's work was introduced to the Francophone readership by Marc de Gouvenain, an editor—and translator—who developed an interest in "the Antipodes" thanks to his numerous travels...