Description
This is a “Superb Collection of Contemporary Multicultural Fiction” of short stories from Africa, China, India, Japan, and Latin America. Twenty-five stories from five cultures far different for the Western world. Against the totally foreign and exotic backdrops of distinct flavors and sights, values and conflicts, the dramas and relationships come to life and are instantly familiar. Universal human conditions are explored in this collection of world literature by such writers as Chinua Achebe, R. K. Narayan, Charles Mungoshi, Bessie Head, and Luisa Valenzuela. anthologies for each area.
This is part of Hewitt’s Lightning Literature & Composition curriculum. From our Guide by Brenda S. Cox:
The editor says that she chose the stories in this collection because, “First, they depict situations or scenes in which we glimpse the houses, streets, fields, villages, and cities of distant parts of the world and gain insight into the values, pressures, behavior, and conflict of people living in cultures far different from our own.” Also, she says, they “transcend the individual situation and the specific location, touching upon universal human traits, relationships, needs, and dreams.” As you read these stories, look for both what you can learn about other places, people, and cultures and for how the people in the stories and their experiences are similar to your own.
