The Long Space Transnationalism and Postcolonial Form [Paperback]

The resurgence of world literature as a category of study seems to coincide with what we understand as globalization, but how does postcolonial writing fit into this picture? Beyond the content of this novel or that, what elements of postcolonial fiction might challenge the assumption that its main aim is to circulate native information globally?The Long Spaceprovides a fresh look at the importance of postcolonial writing by examining how it articulates history and place both in contentandform. Not only does it offer a new theoretical model for understanding decolonization's impact on duration in writing, but through a series of case studies of Guyanese, Somali, Indonesian, and Algerian writers, it urges a more protracted engagement with time and space in postcolonial narrative. Although each writerWilson Harris, Nuruddin Farah, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and Assia Djebarexplores a unique understanding of postcoloniality, each also makes a more general assertion about the difference of time and space in decolonization. Taken together, they herald a transnationalism beyond the contaminated coordinates of globalization as currently construed. [T]heoretically sophisticated and meticulously argued . . . [T]his is a very innovative monograph that provides the type of theoretically inspired close reading of postcolonial literature that is often lacking in the field . . . [I]t is an important work that will surely become a major point of reference for those keen to pursue the study of a postcolonial aesthetic. In the end, what Hitchcock offers his readers is a conjunction of both close and distant readings, scrutiny alongside scale.The Long Spaceis an impressive book at the extremes of both detailed textual analysis and complex theoretical abstraction. Peter Hitchcock is Professor of English, Film Studies, and Women's Studies at the Graduate Center and Baruch College of the City University of New York. His books includeImaginary States(2003l#�