Devoted exclusively to women poets, this volume in the Undergraduate Companion Series presents students with an abundance of important resources necessary for 21st-century literary research. The most authoritative, informative, and useful Web sites and print resources have carefully been selected and compiled in a bibliographic guide to the introductory works of 221 women poets who write in English or have works available in English translation. Representing more than 25 nationalities worldwide, the women included in this volume have each contributed significantly to the genre of poetry. For each author you will find concise lists of the best Web sites and printed sources, including biographies, criticisms, dictionaries, handbooks, indexes, concordances, journals, and bibliographies.

Now a firmly established part of world literature course offerings in many general education curricula, African literature is no longer housed exclusively with African Studies programs, and is often studied in English, French, Portuguese, Women's Studies, and Comparative Studies departments. This book helps fill the great need for research materials on this topic, presenting the best resources available for 300 African writers. These writers have been carefully selected to include both well-known writers and those less commonly studied yet highly influential. They are drawn from both the Sub-Sahara and the Maghreb, the major geographical regions of Africa. The study of Africa was introduced into the curriculum of institutions of higher learning in the United States in the 1960s, when the Black Consciousness movement in the United States and the Cold War and decolonization movements in Africa created a need for the systematic study of other regions of the world. Between 1986 and 1991, three Africans won Nobel literature prizes: Soyinka, Mahfouz, and Gordimer, and the visibility of African writers increased. They are now a firmly established part of world literature courses in many general education curricula throughout North America. African Writers is meant to serve as a resource for introductory material on 300 writers from 39 countries. These writers were selected on the basis on two criteria: that there is material on them in an easily available reference work; and that there is some information of research value on free Web sites. Each writer is from the late-19th or 20th century, with the notable exception of Olaudah Equiano, an 18th-century African whose slave narrative is generally considered the first work of African literature. All entries are annotated.

This volume, one in the Undergraduate Companion series, focuses on American and British writers for children and young adults and is addressed to students in both English and Education classes. It provides both print and free online sources. Most undergraduates do not possess the research skills necessary to evaluate Web sites. This volume will address their needs by providing pathfinders to works by, about, and related to key writers of children's and young adult fiction. Included are entries for 185 British and American writers and writing teams, most from the 20th century. Young adult and adult. Grades 9 and up.

This companion provides information on the lives and works of about 150 authors who write primarily in Arabic, covering the first known works of Arabic literature in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. to the present day. While concentrating on literary authors, writers from the fields of history, geography, and philosophy are also represented. The individuals represented were chosen primarily from the Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature. Among the major authors are Najib Mahfuz, the 1988 Nobel laureate; Nawal Saadawi, the Egyptian physician who is the leading female literary author in the Arab world and the most frequently translated into English; Abu al-Ala' al-Ma'arri, the 11th century poet whose verses are taught to every Arab schoolchild; and Avicenna, the great physician and philosopher, transmitter and interpreter of Aristotle, whose work on medicine was long the standard not only in the Middle East but also (in Latin translation) in Europe. In addition, entries will be included for the anonymous romances so common in Arabic literature, such as The Arabian Nights, a cycle of stories perhaps even better known in the West than in the Arab world. Interest in the history and culture of the Arab world at U.S. universities has taken a quantum leap since the events of September 11, 2001. In this book, the author demonstrates that at least three major, distinct literary and cultural traditions are included within the fields of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies—Arabic, Persian, and Turkic. The Arabic tradition is the oldest, largest, and most widely dispersed. Undergraduate courses in Arabic literature and culture are now being taught at both lower- and upper-levels at many universities. Such courses are often used by undergraduates to fulfill basic educational requirements for their degrees. Students in such courses often have difficulty finding information on Arab writers, and this volume fills the void.

An outstanding research guide for undergraduate students of American literature, this best-selling book is essential when it comes to researching American authors. Bracken and Hinman identify and describe the best and most current sources, both in print and online, for nearly 300 American writers whose works are included in the most frequently used literary anthologies. Students will know exactly what information is available and where to find it.

"Represented are more than 180 women writers, from the medieval to the contemporary period, whose works are featured in widely used literature anthologies and most course approaches. For each author, you will find concise lists of the best web sites as well as printed sources such as biographies and criticisms, dictionaries and handbooks, indexes and concordances, journals, and bibliographies."--BOOK JACKET.

1970- issued in 2 vols.: v. 1, General reference, social sciences, history, economics, business; v. 2, Fine arts, humanities, science and engineering.

This much-needed guide to translated literature offers readers the opportunity to hear from, learn about, and perhaps better understand our shrinking world from the perspective of insiders from many cultures and traditions. In a globalized world, knowledge about non-North American societies and cultures is a must. Contemporary World Fiction: A Guide to Literature in Translation provides an overview of the tremendous range and scope of translated world fiction available in English. In so doing, it will help readers get a sense of the vast world beyond North America that is conveyed by fiction titles from dozens of countries and language traditions. Within the guide, approximately 1,000 contemporary non-English-language fiction titles are fully annotated and thousands of others are listed. Organization is primarily by language, as language often reflects cultural cohesion better than national borders or geographies, but also by country and culture. In addition to contemporary titles, each chapter features a brief overview of earlier translated fiction from the group. The guide also provides in-depth bibliographic essays for each chapter that will enable librarians and library users to further explore the literature of numerous languages and cultural traditions.