roman à clef

[ raw-mah na kle ]

noun

, French.

, plural ro·mans à clef [r, aw-mah, n, z, a, , kle].

1. a novel that represents historical events and characters under the guise of fiction.

roman à clef

/ rɔmɑ̃ a kle /

noun

1. a novel in which real people are depicted under fictitious names

roman à clef

1. A novel in which actual people and places are disguised as fictional characters . Roman à clef is French for “novel with a key.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of roman à clef¹

First recorded in 1880–85; literally “novel with a key,” the key being the connection between the fictional and nonfictional elements of the novel

Word History and Origins

Origin of roman à clef¹

literally: novel with a key

Example Sentences

Did he then turn “Atticus Pünd Takes the Case” into a kind of roman a clef?

From Washington Post

And then she re-encountered Hillary Clinton — as research for “American Wife,” her quietly absorbing first lady roman a clef.

From Los Angeles Times

Ray later posed for Playboy and published a roman a clef novel called “The Washington Fringe Benefit” featuring thinly veiled portrayals of DC power brokers.

From Los Angeles Times

Autofiction, meanwhile, is nothing new, arguably just a voguish term for the sorts of roman a clef that have always borrowed heavily from personal experience.

From The Guardian

But this is not a book about the Trump years but about the Clinton era, though it is no roman a clef.

From Washington Post