The Atlantic Companion to Literature in English

Intended to serve the academic needs of the students of English literature, the Companion is an ultimate literary reference source, providing an up to date, comprehensive and authoritative biographies of novelists, poets, playwrights, essayists, journalists and critics ranging from literary giants of the past to contemporary writers like Peter Burnes (1931-2004), Anthony Powell (1905-2000), Patrick O’Brian (1914-2000), Iris Murdoch (1919-1999), Grace Nicholas (1950-) and Douglas Adams (1952-2001). Over the last few decades English literary canon has become relatively more extensive and diverse. In recognition of the significance of the new literatures in English, special emphasis has been given on the writers of these literatures. In addition, the Indian writers writing in English have been given a prominent place in the book, thereby making it particularly useful for the students of Indian English literature. The Companion is unique of its kind as it gives a broad outline of the story and not merely a brief account of the plot structure of a literary work so as to enable the students to have a fairly good idea of the story. Likewise, before getting down to the writings of an author, the companion provides an invaluable and authoritative biographical note believing that an author’s biography facilitates proper understanding of his/her contributions. On account of its clear and reliable plot summaries and descriptive entries of major works and literary journals and authentic biographical details, the companion is a work of permanent value. It is undoubtedly an indispensable and path-breaking handy reference guide for all those interested in literatures in English produced in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Africa, the Caribbean, India and other countries.