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In Marguerite Duras’ autobiographical novel L’Amant there are several written photographs, through which the story is told. This essay examines the function of these photographs – both actual and non-taken, as well as the idea of the photo – in L’Amant. The essay shows how the photograph is used as a means to authenticate the story, as well as to put that same authenticity into question. Reality is destabilized by setting the objectivity of the photograph against the uncertainty of memory and sense of self. Furthermore, by fragmenting linear storytelling common in the written medium, the novel subverts the idea of reality and, in turn, the genre of autobiography.