Bloomsbury English as a Literature in Translation

For many writers writing in English today, English is but one of a number of languages, and by extension cultures, to which they have access. The question arises of the impact of this sometimes latent, sometimes explicit, multilingualism on generic and other literary forms and conventions. To what extent is English literature today a literature in translation in the sense that it is formed at the confluence of different literary and cultural traditions and is mediated or brokered by multilingual individuals? And to what extent might literary creativity today be premised on access to more than one language and/or set of cultural and literary traditions? English as a Literature in Translation examines the complexities of writing in English and assesses the extent to which language practices in English have been localized and/or culturally inflected, even as English has become a global medium of communication. Review This is a timely and important book that highlights the ways in which contemporary writers in English are engaging with translation and multilingualism. Fiona Doloughan investigates the changing linguistic landscape in the English-speaking world and shows the extent to which writing today is grounded in different notions of translation. --Susan Bassnett, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Warwick and University of Glasgow, UKNo languagecertainly not the hybrid, motley creature that English has evolved intoexists in sovereign isolation. Challenging the linguaphobia and xenophobia that has infected political discourse in the United Kingdom and the United States, Fiona J. Doloughan offers an invigorating reading of English in the presence of and creative symbiosis with other languages. Through careful, insightful analyses of narratives of translation by Eva Hoffman, Xiaolu Guo, Ariel Dorfman, James Kelman, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Sandra Cisneros, Doloughan makes an important contribution to comparative literature, translation and translingual studies, and applied linguistics. English as a Literature in Translation demands a fresh perspective not only on those authors but on conventional notions of text, context, and national identity. --Steven G. Kellman, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA, and author of The Translingual Imagination (2000)Where English is not the world's first language, it is the second of choice. Any non-anglophone author will seek an English translation of their books. Yet in London's primary schools over 340 diverse languages are spoken, almost none of which are taught in the rapidly-declining field of """"Foreign"""" Languages. Are overseas writers seeking English publication adapting to the restricted vocabulary of Globish? Or is global English being refreshed by the multiple inflections of local idioms and international street slang? Fiona J. Doloughan examines plurilingual Britain and celebrates the emergence of a new literature that mixes genres and crosses borders. Part fresh research, part a long overdue theoretical review of what we read, write and say, her voice speaks for contemporary Britain. --Amanda Hopkinson, Visiting Professor in Literary Translation, City University London, UK About the Author Fiona J. Doloughan is Lecturer in English at The Open University, UK.'