Of Irony and Empire

Laura Rice is Professor of Comparative Literature at Oregon State University and cotranslator (with Karim Hamdy) of Century of Locusts by Malika Mokeddem and Departures by Isabelle Eberhardt.

"This is one of the rare studies of African literature to bridge the gap between North African and Sub-Saharan literature, two worlds that rarely meet in the minds of most specialists in the field of African literature … [it] is a valuable contribution to studies of African literature and society today. For this reason, it is a book that should be read by all who claim to be specialists in African literature." — Comparative Literature Studies"This book is beautifully written in clear, elegant prose and provides an original, imaginative, and compelling argument regarding alternative modernities in twentieth-century Africa." — Winifred Woodhull, author of Transfigurations of the Maghreb: Feminism, Decolonization, and Literatures"This is an excellent critical examination of some of Africa's most celebrated novels and the author approaches this rather complicated field with a unique commentary and balanced perspective." — Chouki El Hamel, Arizona State University

• Acknowledgments 1. Prologue: Of Irony and Empire 2. African Conscripts/European Conflicts: Race, Memory, and the Lessons of War 3. Ambiguous Adventure: Reading Cheikh Hamidou Kane 4. Heimlich un-Heimlich: Of Home as Heterotopia in Salih, Tlili, and Mokeddem 5. Epilogue: The Ends of Irony NotesBibliographyIndex