Detective Fiction in a Postcolonial and Transnational World (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780754668480)

Taking up a neglected area in the study of the crime novel, this collection investigates the growing number of writers who adapt conventions of detective fiction to expose problems of law, ethics, and truth that arise in postcolonial and transnational communities. While detective fiction has been linked to imperialism and constructions of race from its earliest origins, recent developments signal the evolution of the genre into a potent framework for narrating the complexities of identity, citizenship, and justice in a postcolonial world. Among the authors considered are Vikram Chandra, Gabriel GarcÃ-a Màrquez, Michael Ondaatje, Patrick Chamoiseau, Mario Vargas Llosa, Suki Kim, and Walter Mosley. The essays explore detective stories set in Latin America, the Caribbean, India, and North America, including novels that view the American metropolis from the point of view of Asian American, African American, or Latino characters. Offering ten new and original essays by scholars in the field, this volume highlights the diverse employment of detective fictions internationally, and uncovers important political and historical subtexts of popular crime novels.

Author: Nels Pearson
ISBN-10: 0754668487
ISBN-13: 9780754668480
Publisher: Routledge
Language: English
Published: 10/28/2009
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.09lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.56d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 08/01/2010
Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2010 pg. 262