'Alphabetical Africa', letter territory

This paper aims at showing that the alphabetical constraint upon which Walter Abish's Alphabetical Africa is built can be read as much more than a mere formal game. Letters are the central characters of this novel, thus always reminding the reader of the fabric writing is made of, while showing the power of language, whose infinite possibilities are stimulated more than hindered by the order of the alphabet. The reader is caught in a maze of forking stories that keep meaning at bay, mapping out language, the better to explore its endless territory.