The Cambridge Companion to British Black and Asian Literature (1945-2010)

Description

This Companion offers a comprehensive account of the influence of contemporary British Black and Asian writing in British culture. While there are a number of anthologies covering Black and Asian literature, there is no volume that comparatively addresses fiction, poetry, plays and performance, and provides critical accounts of the qualities and impact within one book. It charts the distinctive Black and Asian voices within the body of British writing and examines the creative and cultural impact that African, Caribbean and South Asian writers have had on British literature. It analyzes literary works from a broad range of genres, while also covering performance writing and non-fiction. It offers pertinent historical context throughout, and new critical perspectives on such key themes as multiculturalism and evolving cultural identities in contemporary British literature. This Companion explores race, politics, gender, sexuality, identity, amongst other key literary themes in Black and Asian British literature. It will serve as a key resource for scholars, graduates, teachers and students alike.

Deirdre Osborne is Reader in English Literature and Drama at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Her research interests span late-Victorian literature and maternity, to Black British writing. She has guest-edited the Special Issue 'Contemporary Black British Women's Writing' Women: A Cultural Review (2009) and co-edited Modern and Contemporary Black British Drama (2014).

'This volume meets the high standards we expect from the Cambridge Companion series. Each contributor is an academic with expertise in the area on which they write. Each chapter is engagingly and accessibly written, providing a necessarily selective overview of the subject.' Linda Kemp, Languages and Literature 'This volume will be helpful to undergraduates by providing original and challenging scholarship, and an excellent chronology and guide to further reading. It will also be useful to researchers looking for new frameworks to approach contemporary English literature.' Wasafiri