This comprehensive study of A. S. Byatt's work spans virtually her entire career and offers insightful readings of all of Byatt's works of fiction up to and including her Man-Booker-shortlisted novel The Children's Book (2009). The authors combine an accessible overview of Byatt's ?uvre to date with close critical analysis of all her major works. Uniquely, the book also considers Byatt's critical writings and journalism, situating her beyond the immediate context of her fiction. The authors argue that Byatt is not only important as a storyteller, but also as an eminent critic and public intellectual. Advancing the concept of 'critical storytelling' as a hallmark of Byatt's project as a writer, the authors retrace Byatt's wide-ranging engagement with both literary and critical traditions. This results in positioning Byatt in the wider literary landscape. This book has broad appeal, including fellow researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, plus general enthusiasts of Byatt's work.
Industry Reviews
it is the great merit of this volume that this ideal of scholarship is embodied in a slim, well-written book on one of Britain's most prolific and interesting writers. Alfer and Edwards de Campos thus succeed in presenting a study that is accessible to the heterogeneous audience they address and which includes researchers, undergraduates, postgraduates and "general enthusiasts" (dust jacket) alike. This is no mean feat, especially when it comes to a complex and often difficult writer like A.S. Byatt
