"This exploration of class, feminism, and cultural identity (including issues of race, nation, colonialism, and economic imperialism) focuses on the work of four writers: the Mozambican Mia Couto, the Portuguese José Saramago, the Brazilian Clarice Lispector, and the South African J.M. Coetzee. In the first section, the author discusses the political aspects of Couto's collection of short stories Contos do nascer da terra (Stories of the Birth of...

"Explores the challenges of subjective passing narratives written during the height of literary realism. Discusses racial and ethnic differences, assimilation, passing, and identity by comparing African-American narratives of James Johnson, Nella Larson, and George Schuyler and "white" ethnic (Jewish-American and Italian-American) narratives by Mary Antin, Anzia Yezierska, and Guido d'Agostino"--Provided by publisher.