Andrea Levy Contemporary Critical Perspectives [Hardcover]

Andrea Levy has emerged as one of the most significant and popular voices in contemporary black British writing both in the UK and abroad. Drawing on a familial history of emigration, her critically-acclaimed novels - including the multiple award-winningSmall Island- attempt to bring a variety of voices to the representation of black experience in post-war Britain.

This book is the first of its kind to be devoted to Levy's work. Combining historical, theoretical and textual perspectives, the volume hosts a wide range of current critical approaches to Levy's fiction. With chapters written by leading established and emerging scholars, the book explores issues of literary form, diasporic literature and cultural value, the BBC TV adaptation ofSmall Island, while also shedding fresh light on Levy's critically neglected early works. The book also includes a new interview with Levy herself, a timeline of her life, chapter summaries, as well as guides to further reading and online resources, making this an essential companion to the writings of one of the most exciting voices in contemporary fiction.

Contributors

Foreword by Lawrence Scott

Series Editors' Preface

Acknowledgements

Chronology of Andrea Levy's Life

INTRODUCTION
???Towards Serious Work'
Jeannette Baxter (Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge) and David James (Queen Mary University, London)

CHAPTER ONE
Unhappy Bildungsromane
Dave Gunning (University of Birmingham)

CHAPTER TWO
Council Housing and the Politics of the Welfare State in Never Far From
Matthew Taunton (University of East Anglia)

CHAPTER THREE
Existing in More than One Plane of Time: Memory and Narrative Form in Every Light in the House Michael Perfect (University of Cambridge)

CHAPTER FOUR
The Immediacy of Small Island
David James (Queen Mary University, London)

CHAPTER FIVE
Small Island, Small Screen: Adapting Black British
Rachel Cl#Ñ