This collection includes contributions from some of the major authors in the field. The critical essays have been chosen with the intention of opening up possibilities, marking out boundaries and setting objectives in the expanding field of international literature in English. New literary and critical practices are derived from the problematic role of English as an international language and from its relations with other languages. Values of cultural difference and particularity are emphasized. This work is intended for use in departments of literature (courses in 20th-century literature, Commonwealth literature, post-colonial literature, and Commonwealth studies.