Literature of Commonwealth Countries : A Review
Keywords:
countries, historicalAbstract
Some people use the term 'Post-Colonial Literatures' as a synonym for 'Commonwealth Literature', even though the latter might refer to literatures in other languages like French or Portuguese as well. Most critics agree that 'post-colonial' in the English context encompasses the literatures of African countries, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Caribbean countries, India, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Pacific Island countries, and Sri Lanka, to quote from one recent analysis of the term. 'Commonwealth' would suit a similar list of countries. Some postcolonial theorists would include the United States in their category, while others who prefer the term Commonwealth omit the United States and include nations like South Africa for'reasons of completeness'.. It was in 1994 when South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth after having left it in 1961. To the general public, the term "Commonwealth Literature" has little meaning. If you ask someone to identify five notable writers from the Commonwealth, you're likely to get a blank stare.
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