French literature summaries - Ievgen Sykalo 2026

Short summary - Ulysses from Baghdad
Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

The Linguistic Trap of Identity

Can a name be both a promise and a sentence? For the protagonist of Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt's Ulysses from Baghdad, the answer lies in a cruel linguistic coincidence: in Persian, Saad means hope, but in English, it sounds like sad. This phonetic collision serves as the perfect entry point into the work, encapsulating the duality of the migrant experience. The novel is not merely a chronicle of flight from war, but a meditation on the transition from being a citizen with a history to becoming a "number" or a "problem" in the eyes of a bureaucratic West. Schmitt asks whether it is possible to retain one's humanity when the world insists on defining you solely by your legal status.

The Geography of Loss: Plot and Structure

The narrative is constructed as a modern Odyssey, though unlike the classical epic where the hero seeks to return to his kingdom, Saad’s journey is a flight from a kingdom that no longer exists. The plot is driven by a relentless series of displacements, moving from the ruins of Baghdad through Egypt, Malta, Sicily, and France, finally terminating in London. Each geographical shift marks a psychological descent; the further Saad travels from his origin, the more he is stripped of his identity.

The construction of the plot relies on a sequence of turning points that mirror the collapse of the 20th-century dream of stability. The first major shift is the transition from the predictable, if oppressive, dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the chaotic "liberation" brought by the US invasion. This irony drives the action: the very force Saad hoped would free his people becomes the catalyst for his family's annihilation. The ending resonates with the beginning not through a return to place, but through a return to the internal state of hope. By the time Saad reaches London, the "home" he seeks is no longer a physical coordinate in Iraq, but a state of peace he must construct within himself.

Psychological Portraits: Survival and Specters

Saad is a character defined by his resilience and his intellectual curiosity. Unlike many refugees portrayed in contemporary literature as passive victims, Saad is an active seeker. His motivation evolves from a youthful desire to fight tyranny to a desperate need to provide for his remaining family, and finally to a philosophical quest for belonging. He is a contradictory figure: he hates the Arab world for its violence yet clings to its cultural roots through his father's teachings.

The most intriguing psychological element is the presence of the father's ghost. This figure is not a supernatural gimmick but a projection of Saad's internal moral compass and his intellectual heritage. The father represents the idealist—the belief in classics, humanism, and the inherent dignity of man. The dialogue between the living son and the dead father allows Schmitt to externalize Saad's internal conflict between the harsh reality of survival (which often requires lying and theft) and the ethical standards of his upbringing.

Leila serves as the emotional anchor and the symbol of Iraq's stolen future. Her relationship with Saad is the only purity in a world of grime and betrayal. Her eventual deportation is the narrative's cruelest blow, reinforcing the idea that for the "illegal," love is a luxury that the state can revoke at any moment. In contrast, characters like Buba and Leopold provide a socio-political mirror; where Buba represents the pragmatic desperation of the African migrant, Leopold embodies the cynical intellectualism that views Europe as a hypocritical fortress.

Ideas and Themes: The Architecture of Exclusion

The central question of the work is the nature of the "illegal". Schmitt explores how the label of "illegal immigrant" transforms a human being into a non-entity. This is most poignantly developed during the scenes in the refugee camps and the interrogations in Italy and France. The text highlights a devastating paradox: the West preaches universal human rights while simultaneously building walls to ensure those rights do not apply to everyone.

The theme of literary salvation is equally critical. The reference to Homer's Odyssey is not just a structural choice but a thematic argument. The father argues that great writers do not paint the world as it is, but as it could be. This suggests that art and literature provide the only viable map for a refugee; when the physical map is torn by war, the imaginative map of the classics provides a sense of continuity and purpose.

Style and Technique: The Dialectics of the Journey

Schmitt employs a narrative pacing that mimics the experience of migration: long periods of stagnation in camps interrupted by bursts of terrifying movement. The language is clean and accessible, avoiding overly flowery prose to mirror the starkness of the protagonist's reality. However, the author uses symbolism effectively, particularly the mother's veil, which acts as a physical link to a lost world and a talisman of protection.

The most distinctive technique is the intertextuality. By weaving the plot of the Odyssey into a contemporary tragedy, Schmitt creates a tension between the "grandeur" of ancient epic and the "squalor" of modern migration. This contrast emphasizes the indignity of the refugee's plight; whereas Ulysses was a king fighting monsters, Saad is a student fighting for a piece of bread and a legal stamp. The use of the ghost also allows for a philosophical dialogue within the plot, turning a travelogue into a treatise on humanism.

Pedagogical Value: Beyond the Border

For a student, this work is an invaluable tool for discussing the intersection of geopolitics and individual agency. It forces the reader to confront the cognitive dissonance of the "civilized" world. The book invites critical inquiry into how we categorize "the other" and the psychological toll of being perpetually perceived as a threat or a burden.

When reading, students should be encouraged to ask: Is Saad's final optimism a triumph of the human spirit, or a necessary delusion for survival? and To what extent does the "civilization" Saad seeks actually exist, or is it merely a literary construct inherited from his father's books? By analyzing the text, students can move from a superficial understanding of the "migrant crisis" to a deeper, more empathetic understanding of the human cost of border politics.