Research on Postcolonial Literature in English

Author: Ren Yiming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: This book provides an analysis and research on the cultural backgrounds, creative thoughts, and works of writers born in former British colonies who later studied in countries like the UK and the US and became active in the global literary scene. The book contains nearly 200,000 words and covers nearly 30 writers. For literature professionals, it is a highly valuable reference book, while for general readers, it is also quite readable. Since the 1960s, the dominance of European and American writers in the world literary scene has undergone significant changes, which can be seen in the recent winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Among the writers challenging European and American dominance, those born in former British colonies who later studied in countries like the UK and the US and engaged in literary creation (what we now call postcolonial writers) have shown considerable energy. Their works often create a stir or provoke waves, such as Wole Soyinka's The British Patient and Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, among others. A Study of British Postcolonial Fiction, co-authored by Ren Yiming and Qu Shijing, is an analysis and research on the cultural backgrounds, creative thoughts, and works of these postcolonial novelists active in the world literary scene in recent years. With nearly 200,000 words, it covers most of the writers we currently know. The book is divided into five chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. Works of African-English Postcolonial Writers, 3. Works of Caribbean-English Postcolonial Writers, 4. Works of Asian-English Postcolonial Writers, and 5. Conclusion. It discusses nearly 30 writers, including well-known figures such as V.S. Naipaul, Wole Soyinka, Kazuo Ishiguro, J.M. Coetzee, and Han Suyin. Mr. Qu Shijing and his graduate student Ren Yiming both have considerable experience in writing books and possess extensive materials, making them adept in selecting topics and presenting arguments. Although the book is not very long, it is rich in information and well-written, making it a valuable reference book for professionals, as well as quite readable for general readers.