Asian American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

(Hardback)

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Description

As a distinct area of literary study, Asian American literature now enjoys a level of critical recognition that was unimaginable when academic interest in the field began modestly some 25 years ago. Part of this recognition stems from the increasing contributions of Asian American novelists, whose works continue to capture growing levels of popular attention. By the early 1970s, anthologies of creative writing by Asian Americans began to appear, and there are now almost two dozen of them. Since then, numerous Asian American writers, such as Amy Tan, Michael Ondaatje, and Bharati Mukherjee, have gained considerable critical and commercial success. The publication of this reference work reflects the new academic status of Asian American literature. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for 70 Asian American novelists. Since the historical and current experiences of Asians in Canada and the United States are substantially similar, the volume covers authors from both countries. While the majority of the writers profiled in the volume have East Asian backgrounds, some have South Asian or West Asian origins. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a short biography, a discussion of major works and themes, a summary of the novelist's critical reception, and separate bibliographies of primary and secondary sources. The volume concludes with a selected, general bibliography.

Reviews

[T]he idea of bringing together information on a variety or writers working within the same discipline and coming from various parts of the large, polymorphous community known as Asian America is a highly useful concept. From my familiarity with Nelson's text, first as a researcher looking for resources on a single author and second as a reviewer attempting a thorough analysis, I would say that every library should have it.-Resources for American Literary Study
Editor Nelson has added another valuable reference source to the growing bibliography of secondary sources on Asian American writers....All of the entries are well written and researched. The bibliographies of secondary sources include articles and reviews from both scholarly and popular journals and books, making the information accessible to a wide audience....This excellent resource concludes with a selected bibliography of anthologies secondary sources, and a few periodicals that publish Asian American writers....Recommneded for all academic as well as large public and high-school libraries.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
Recommended specialty picks for discriminating college collections.-The Midwest Book Review
The contributors themselves are experts in their subject, which makes the reading of an entry enjoyable and insightful....This book will become invaluable for the scholar. It is also a refreshing way for the general reader to become acquainted with this new and interesting literature.-ARBA
The present volume focuses uniquely on novelists, profiling the lives and work of more than 60 writers representing nine Asian American groups, making this work the most extensive and inclusive to date....Highly recommended for academic libraries, large public libraries, high school libraries, and libraries serving Asian American communities.-Choice
[An] easy-to-use reference book.-Multicultural Review
[An] easy-to-use reference book.Multicultural Review
"An easy-to-use reference book."-Multicultural Review
"The idea of bringing together information on a variety or writers working within the same discipline and coming from various parts of the large, polymorphous community known as Asian America is a highly useful concept. From my familiarity with Nelson's text, first as a researcher looking for resources on a single author and second as a reviewer attempting a thorough analysis, I would say that every library should have it."-Resources for American Literary Study
"[An] easy-to-use reference book."-Multicultural Review
"[T]he idea of bringing together information on a variety or writers working within the same discipline and coming from various parts of the large, polymorphous community known as Asian America is a highly useful concept. From my familiarity with Nelson's text, first as a researcher looking for resources on a single author and second as a reviewer attempting a thorough analysis, I would say that every library should have it."-Resources for American Literary Study
"Recommended specialty picks for discriminating college collections."-The Midwest Book Review
"The contributors themselves are experts in their subject, which makes the reading of an entry enjoyable and insightful....This book will become invaluable for the scholar. It is also a refreshing way for the general reader to become acquainted with this new and interesting literature."-ARBA
"The present volume focuses uniquely on novelists, profiling the lives and work of more than 60 writers representing nine Asian American groups, making this work the most extensive and inclusive to date....Highly recommended for academic libraries, large public libraries, high school libraries, and libraries serving Asian American communities."-Choice
"Editor Nelson has added another valuable reference source to the growing bibliography of secondary sources on Asian American writers....All of the entries are well written and researched. The bibliographies of secondary sources include articles and reviews from both scholarly and popular journals and books, making the information accessible to a wide audience....This excellent resource concludes with a selected bibliography of anthologies secondary sources, and a few periodicals that publish Asian American writers....Recommneded for all academic as well as large public and high-school libraries."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

Author Bio

EMMANUEL S. NELSON is Professor of English at the State University of New York College at Cortland. He is the author of more than 30 articles, and his previous books include Contemporary African American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook (1999), Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook (1993), Writers of the Indian Diaspora: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook (1993), and Reworlding: The Literature of the Indian Diaspora (1992), all available from Greenwood Press.