Writing Across Worlds: Contemporary Writers Talk

Writing is a form of cultural travelling: with words a means of making crossings and forging connections between apparently conflicting worlds. However, some writers have found it hard to reach an international audience: for decades the western literary establishment all too readily neglected work it variously labelled 'migrant', 'multicultural' or simply 'other'. In 1984 the literary magazineWasafiriwas founded to promote the work of such writers. Ever since, it has provided a significant platform for those once dismissed as marginal, those who use words to cross borders of real and imagined worlds. To celebrateWasafiri'stwentieth anniversary,Writing Across Worldsbrings together a selection of engrossing interviews with key international writers previously featured in the pages of the magazine. Conducted by distinguished critics, writers and journalists, the interviews offer a unique insight into the views and work of a remarkable array of authors. They also chart a slow butcertain cultural shift: those who were 'other' have not only won the establishment's most revered literary prizes but have also begun to be seen as, quite simply, contemporary writers, writing across and into all our worlds. With an introductory comment by Susheila Nasta, editor ofWasafiri, this collection is essential reading for all those interested in contemporary literature.