A novel that depicts real people and events under the guise of fiction, with thin disguises that insiders can decode.
Roman à clef (French for 'novel with a key') is fiction based on real people and real events, with names and details changed just enough to maintain plausible deniability. The 'key' is the reader's ability to identify who each character really is. It's a form that lets writers tell true stories that would be legally or socially dangerous to tell as nonfiction, and the reader's recognition of the real-world counterparts adds a layer of intrigue.
Roman à clef sits at the intersection of fiction and reality, which makes it both legally complex and narratively powerful. Understanding the form helps you if you're writing fiction based on personal experience or real events. It also raises important questions about what fiction owes to truth and what liberties writers can ethically take.
A thinly veiled portrait of Hemingway's own social circle in 1920s Paris and Pamplona.
A fictional account of a Bill Clinton-like presidential campaign, initially published anonymously.
A barely disguised account of working for Anna Wintour at Vogue.
Take a real situation from your own life (a conflict, a workplace dynamic, a family event) and fictionalize it. Change the names, the setting, and one key detail. Write a scene from this fictionalized version. Notice what changes when you give yourself the freedom of fiction: what truths can you tell that you couldn't in nonfiction?