Exhibiting the margin : "the writer" and "the Jew" in the work of Edmond Jabès

In my talk I would like to present a part of the research I have dedicated to Edmond Jabès. Starting from Le Livre des Questions (1963-1973), Jabès’ poetical work outstands in contemporary literature for developing a unique form, which can be described as an attempt to enter the inner dimension of the art of writing. Thought to be a comment on a book that doesn’t really exist, the work of Jabès encompasses at least three different dimensions of marginality: geographical, rhetorical, and hermeneutical-philosophical. My aim is to investigate these various aspects, wishing to clarify the reasons lying behind the peculiar choices of Jabès’ poetry. I will deal then with Jabès’ encounter with Judaism, which indeed I believe it represents a watershed within his poetical work. In describing Jabès’ interpretation of Judaism I will point out how the similarity Jabès found between “the writer” and “the Jew” emerges as a key notion in his research. I will try to explain it partly by referring to some other authors that could have influenced Jabès (especially Maurice Blanchot), partly by analyzing the consequences such a vision could have both for a philosophical interpretation of Judaism and for a better understanding of the literary task.