Colonial and Postcolonial Literature

by Elleke Boehmer

Colonial and Postcolonial Literature is the leading critical overview of and historical introduction to colonial and postcolonial literary studies. Highly praised from the time of its first publication for its lucidity, breadth, and insight, the book has itself played a crucial part in founding and shaping this rapidly expanding field. The author, an internationally renowned postcolonial critic, provides a broad contextualizing narrative about the evolution of colonial and postcolonial writing in English. Illuminating close readings of texts by a wide variety of writers--from Kipling and Conrad through to Kincaid, from Ngugi to Noonuccal and Naipaul--explicate key theoretical terms such as "subaltern," "colonial resistance," "writing back," and "hybridity." This revised edition includes new critiques of postcolonial women's writing, an expanded and fully annotated bibliography, and a new chapter and conclusion on postcolonialism exploring keynote debates in the field relating to
sexuality, transnationalism, and local resistance.

Genres: Nonfiction, Post Colonial, History, Theory, Literary Criticism, Contemporary, Criticism

351 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Neer]

A lucid overview of literature that came with colonisation and left its impact even when colonisation as a physical reality came to an end.
*

First Line: This is a book about the writing of empire, and about writing in opposition to empire.

[Carla]

Great explanations of the main topics surrounding (Post)Colonialism and the authors who have become essential in the field. Moreover, the writing is extremely easy to follow, which is appreciated when dealing with complex topics.

[Iñaki Tofiño]

Absolutely amazing scholarship about colonial and postcolonial literatures!
Finally somebody goes beyond the postcolonial to the colonial and describes tropes, ways, methods... which help us understand imperial rhetoric and how it affected (and affects) colonized territories, each one with their own particularities. Besides the excellent content, Boehmer's prose is easy readable, well constructed, far from the post-structuralist jargon so dear to some postcolonial scholars.

[Letizia]

a solid 3.5

[Arianna Pappone]

Biased but well written and insightful

[aml]

Excellent overview to postcolonial literature studies .