Paul Bonnetain, a naturalist writer known for his many provocations and scandals, is entrusted with a mission to the Sudan in October 1892 by the Ministry of the Colonies and the Ministry of Education. Following a nine month trek through often hostile lands, accompanied by his wife and their daughter, he returns to the metropolis with many documents, fruits of his observations. Yet there remains no trace of the content of his official rapport, nor of a volume announced in the press. Only a few photographs surface. Could the reason be the ministerial censure that Bonnetain claimed to be victim of? The fact remains that, as though to evade an official proscription, a travel book is published under the name of Raymonde Bonnetain as well as a collection of short stories and prose poetry signed Paul Bonnetain. These very rich and complementary texts raise many questions, especially with regard to their status: literary work, simple testimony or genuine authentic document? It is these suggestions and their possible combinations, that this article intends to explore.