World Biofictionalists in Translation : Literature as Existential Map (Biofiction Studies)

Seventeen authors of the world’s most famous biofictions discuss their works with literary scholars to answer vitally important questions about the relevance and power of literature. How do authors metaphorize the life of a real person in order to diagnose cultural sicknesses and offer readers healthier and more just ways of thinking and doing? How can biofiction fictionalize the life of a person in order to give readers an existential map for becoming a more autonomous and agential being? How can biofiction contribute to human happiness? How can it combat mental illness? World Biofictionalists in Translation brings together some of the most prominent creative writers across the globe in order to explore the value and power of literature, specifically biofiction, to transform and improve human lives; to encourage and promote interpersonal, intercultural, and international communication; and to generate interest in non-English speaking writers, cultures, and countries. With a cross-cultural and transnational focus, these interviews seek to contribute to the conditions for a more informed, humane, and tolerant global order. But more importantly, this collection of interviews illustrates how we are better as people and nations when we collaborate on the project of engaging literature to better understand, define, and create ourselves as individuals, cultures, and countries.