photo credits: Wikimedia Commons
Roman à clef (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɑ̃ a kle], anglicised as ), French for novel with a key, is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This metaphorical key may be produced separately—typically as an explicit guide to the text by the author—or implied, through the use of epigraphs or other literary techniques.Madeleine de Scudéry created the roman à clef in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures.The reasons an author might choose the roman à clef format include satire; writing about controversial topics and/or reporting inside information on scandals without giving rise to charges of libel; the opportunity to turn the tale the way the author would like it to have gone; the opportunity to portray personal, autobiographical experiences without having to expose the author as the subject; avoiding self-incrimination or incrimination of others that could be used as evidence in civil, criminal, or disciplinary proceedings; the ability to change the background and personalities of key participants; and the settling of scores. Biographically inspired works have also appeared in other literary genres and art forms, notably the film à clef. Source: Wikipedia (en)
Works in the genre roman à clef 42
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Return from Siberia
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O: A Presidential Novel
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Black Mamba Boy
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Bommenteppech
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The Savage Detectives
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Ruisend gruis
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Cyberia
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De grachtengordel
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Hollywood
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The Great Indian Novel
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69
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Answered Prayers
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Dolores
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A, A Novel
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The Bell Jar
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The Gay Place
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The Carpetbaggers
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The Dharma Bums
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On the Road
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The Mandarins
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A Dance to the Music of Time
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All the King's Men
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Our Lady of the Flowers
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The Love of the Last Tycoon
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I Lost My Girlish Laughter
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Mephisto
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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Suffragette Sally
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O Marquês da Bacalhoa
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The Bachelier
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The Red Room
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Ruth Hall
Genre - wd:Q512207