My dissertation examines the Russian influence on the critical writing, poetry, prose and philosophy of Mikhail Naimy (1889-1988), the world renowned figure in modern Arabic literature. Together with Jibran Khalil Jibran, Ameen al-Rihani, Ilia Abu Madi, Rachid Ayuub, and several other Arab-American men of letters he founded the Pen Association, a literary league in New York in 1920 that lifted Arabic literature from the quagmire of stagnation, imitation and old classicism. They also promoted the new generation of Arab writers and made it an active force in Arab nationalism. Numerous researchers have studied the impact of British, American and French cultures and literatures on the Pen Association's creative writings. Meanwhile it was Russian literature that had the most important impact on Naimy, as well as on some other members of this literary association (though less). This influence has still only been studied superficially aside from some Soviet era analyses. My dissertation makes a much-needed contribution to this blank spot, since the Russian literary critic Vissarion Belinskiī (1811-1848) and the towering figure of Leo Tolstoī (1828-1910) contributed greatly to the foundation of the modern Arabic literature. My dissertation traces Mikhail Naimy's Russian Orthodox heritage in Lebanon, his education in Poltava, Ukraine, and his readings of Belinskiī and Tolstoī to show how he incorporates critical social reform, anticlericalism and mysticism into his important Arabic language works. It also shows the influence of the Russian literary criticism on Naimy's critical articles. My dissertation sheds light on global literary processes, as Naimy was able to synthesize Russian, European and American literary traditions into his native Arabic heritage. This integration is an important part of the evolution of modern Arabic literature and an interesting phenomenon that emerged in the American melting pot of the early twentieth century. My research has significant methodological value, as it will identify the typology and significance of cultural contacts, based on the example of influence mentioned above. It will also contribute to an important topic of the renewed interest in the academy - Russian influences and impacts in the Middle East and in Arabic culture and literature.

L’objet de notre recherche a été précisément de démontrer que des éléments historiques et mémoriels ont joué un rôle primordial dans la construction des héroïnes méditerranéennes. Notre but était donc de souligner ces éléments, d’étudier leurs manifestations dans les œuvres et d’interroger ces dernières afin de trouver les raisons pour lesquelles les écrivaines ont choisi ces éléments parmi d’autres dans la création de leurs personnages. Nous avons donc démontré que ce sont le patrimoine, la mythologie et les traditions orientaux et méditerranéens qui sont revendiqués par nos écrivaines tout en faisant appel à la référence et à la culture occidentales. Nos recherches nous ont permis de découvrir également que les évènements historiques et les traditions culturelles et religieuses ne sont pas les seules à influencer la représentation du personnage féminin ; Il nous a fallu démontrer que ces écrivaines ont nourri leurs œuvres en puisant dans leurs expériences personnelles et leurs souvenirs d’où s’ajoute le rôle de la mémoire individuelle dans la construction des personnages, ce qui nous a offert des pistes afin d’explorer l’inconscient de ces écrivaines en révélant les empreintes de ce dernier dans les textes. Cette étude, a l’ambition, de plus, de démontrer que les œuvres choisies sont des exemples indéniables de la rencontre entre les cultures et les langues, de décrire les différents défis auxquels font face les héroïnes mais aussi les femmes écrivaines et de contribuer à montrer que ces dernières expriment, à travers leurs écrits, leur humanisme et leur révolte contre les violences et les misogynies meurtrières. Ne pouvant nier, in fine, que ces écrivaines engagées et unies par l’amour de la langue et de la culture françaises insistent sur le rôle fondamental de l’écriture. / The object of our research was precisely to demonstrate that historical and memorial elements played a key role in the construction of mediterranean heroines. Our goal was to emphasize these elements, to study their manifestations in the works and to question them in order to find the reasons why the writers chose these elements among others in the creation of their characters. We have therefore demonstrated that it is the heritage, the mythology and the Eastern and Mediterranean traditions that are claimed by our writers while appealing to Western reference and culture. Our research also allowed us to discover that historical events and cultural and religious traditions are not the only ones to influence the representation of the female character; We had to demonstrate that these writers nourished their works by drawing on their personal experiences and memories, and added the role of individual memory in the construction of the characters, which offered us avenues to explore the unconscious of these writers by revealing the imprints of the latter in the texts. This study also aims to demonstrate that the selected works are undeniable examples of the encounter between cultures and languages, to describe the different challenges faced by heroines and women writers, and to contribute to show that the latter express, through their writings, their humanism and their revolt against violence and murderous misogyny. Not being able to deny, in fine, that these committed writers united by the love of French language and culture insist on the fundamental role of writing.