Versions of Zimbabwe:
new approaches to literature and culture
Edited by Robert Muponde and Ranka Primorac
Versions
of Zimbabwe: new approaches to literature and culture is a first
of its kind: in a turbulent historical moment, the book asks questions
about how Zimbabwe's creative literature may be related to its history
and politics. The result of a collaboration of scholars situated both
in Southern Africa and overseas, the book addresses Zimbabwean literature
and culture from angles that have hitherto remained overshadowed.
Literary texts imagine multiple versions of Zimbabwe, and only a multiplicity
of opinions can do Zimbabwe true justice: Versions of Zimbabwe
places a deliberate emphasis on plurality, inclusiveness and the breaking
of boundaries. Chapters on internationally celebrated authors such as
Yvonne Vera, Dambudzo Marechera and Alexandra Fuller appear alongside
discussions of writers not widely known outside Zimbabwe, and critical
examinations of literary works in three languages are complemented by
discussions of film and autobiography/memoir.
In an attempt to end the needless segregation of Zimbabwean writing, several
chapters discuss white Zimbabwean authors in comparison to black ones;
yet others engage with the neglected topic of Zimbabwean poetry.
In all these ways, Versions of Zimbabwe: new approaches to literature
and culture makes a stand against rigidly proscriptive attitudes
and in favour of a plurality of textual stances and approaches.
2005:
210 x 130; 262pp
ISBN 1 77922 036 7
Territory: World