Espaces réels vs espaces imaginaires. La ville et le village dans le roman africain d’expression française

This article aims to shed light on representations of city and village by some African novelists. The image of those spaces is alternately realistic or imaginary, favorable or negative, peaceful or cruel. Then we present a condensed analysis of six French-speaking novels – those of Abdoulaye Sadji, Mongo Beti, Francis Bebey, Étienne Goyemidé and Ansomwin Ignace Hien – from the period between the fifties and nineties of XX century.