A Concise Companion to Contemporary British Fiction

Blackwell's new companion to contemporary British fiction is a delight to review. It delivers on its promises to be innovative, highly readable, lively and topical, and it warrants wholehearted endorsement as an essential addition to any library that is seriously developing resources for undergraduate and taught postgraduate study.

The Companion is edited by James F. English, Professor and Chair at the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania, who sets out a clear agenda in his introductory text. For instance, in this context contemporary equates to the last 30 or so years, “since the 1970s, and especially since 1978”,...