Henry Lawson, V. S. Naipaul, Nadine Gordimer and Chinua Achebe are respectively Australian, Caribbean, South African and Nigerian, yet they all write in English. The 'English' literature of the ex-colonies is proving to be the most interesting and innovative of our times: this volume offers a significant example of its vitality and originality. As Salman Rushdi said, 'the Empire writes back'.