Multilingual America: Transnationalism, Ethnicity, and the Languages of American Literature (Paperback)

by Werner Sollors (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This unique anthology is the first compilation of American literature to collect works written in the United States from 1696 to 1994 in languages other than English and present them on the verso pages with English translations on the recto. As pointed out in the introduction by coeditor Sollors (English literature and Afro-American studies, Harvard), multilingual texts were common in older anthologies but have disappeared in more contemporary collections. This new volume may stimulate further studies and readers in this neglected aspect of American literature. As is usual with such efforts, not every work selected is worthwhile: of the 31 pieces chosen by the two editors and 32 contributors, roughly half are of excellent quality. American Indian dialects, French, Spanish, Polish, Welsh, Yiddish, Chinese, and Scandinavian are represented, and the selections encompass poetry, short stories, sermons, humor, and nonfiction. For academic library collections; primarily recommended as a text for college courses in alternative American literature."Morris Hounion, New York City Technical Coll. Lib., Brooklyn
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

”This volume is invaluable and provides essential source as wake-up call for both professionals and general audiences to recognize that American literature is multilingual throughout its history and, if present demographic trends continue, will rapidly become more multicultural.”

- Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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Product Details

• Paperback: 409 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814780938
• ISBN-13: 978-0814780930
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,477,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding contribution to mulicultural America!, January 8, 1999

By	Dr. Walter Hoelbling (Karl-Franzens-Universität, Graz, Austria) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Werner Sollors' critical anthology is a timely contribution to the relatively new multicultural self-image of America. On the historical side, it reminds us of the fact that, until about 1920, "American Literature" was understood as "literature written in the U.S.A.",in a variety of languages other than English, and that these works were also included in the anthologies and histories of American Literature. Authored by international and American scholars, the book's essays trace the development towards "English only" over the past seven decades, provide enligthening - and often entertaining - examples of novels, stories, poems and plays written in German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Yiddish, and other languages, and present the reader with a fascinating mosaic of America's truly multicultural literary heritage. With regard to the contemporary situation in an age of rapidly growing globalization, Sollors' introduction points to the somewhat paradoxical fact that, in spite of the new multicultural understanding of American society, the number of Americans who speak any language other than English is in constant decline. Reminding us of the fact that language always transports cultural values, Sollors' proposal for the preservation of America's rich multicultural heritage is "English plus" (another language). This idea may not make him many friends among the contemporary "English only" movements in several regions of the U.S., but it certainly appears to be a viable way towards a serious practice of multiculturalism.