Switching Languages

Steven G. Kellman is a professor of comparative literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is the author of The Translingual Imagination (Nebraska 2000) and The Self-Begetting Novel, and is the co-editor of UnderWords: Perspectives on Don DeLillo's Underworld.

"Switching Languages shows that the choice to write in a language other than one's home language is not innocent. It imbricates an author's allegiance and loyalty to his or her native language, identity, history, and native discourse community. This choice can be both liberating and constraining, elating and painful. Kellman has put together in this reader a rich mix of perspectives and life trajectories from authors who write across various languages."-Claire J. Kramsch, author of Language Acquisition and Language Socialization: Ecological Perspectives -- Claire J. Kramsch "Kellman has put together an impressive collection of different voices that illuminate the various, often controversial approaches to translingualism."-Rainer Schulte, World Literature Today -- Rainer Schulte World Literature Today "An interesting subject is considered from many angles in this volume, making for an interesting anthology."-The Complete Review The Complete Review "Steven Kellman (2003), is an established authority in the field of translingual writing, i.e. writing in more than one language or in the language that is not one's mother tongue. The distinguishing features of his collection are its unique breadth and comprehensiveness, the absence of the usual suspects such as Eva Hoffman or Richard Rodriguez whose work can found in a variety of other collections, the presence of less familiar to the American reader, but nonetheless important literary figures such as Andre Brink or Assia Djebar, and a skilful mix of autobiographic reflections with poetry, polemic essays, and interviews conducted by the editor himself. Some of the texts have been translated specifically for this edition."-Aneta Pavlenko, Temple University, Bilingual Education and Bilingualism -- Aneta Pavlenko Bilingual Education and Bilingualism