Molvania et Cie. Des géographies littéraires

Abstract

Western Europe has often considered its eastern counterpart as a suspicious place populated by vampires, child-eaters and other monsters; in other words, part and parcel of Europe but at the same time a totally alien neighbour which still remains a fecund field of imaginary places. Plenty of examples support this cliché: one may think of Ruritania, where Anthony Hope’s novel is set, or of Allan Mellet’s Poldévie in "The Prisoner of Zenda", which appeared in the late 1920s on the right-wing newspaper "L’Action Française" and was later drawn on by less disputable writers. Also, other examples are provided by Hergé’s Tintin’s travels to Bordurie and Syldavie, and by the more recent travel guide Molvania: a land untouched by modern dentistry by the Australian trio, Santo Cialuro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch, which was published few years ago. All of these imaginary places raise some questions about the reasons underlying the success of these imaginary geographies, about why this part of Europe produces such a considerable amount of imaginary lands and the mutual influence existing between these places and “reality”.