In A Report on the Afterlife of Culture, one of Canadas most provocative writers ranges across continents, centuries and linguistic traditions to examine how literary culture and our perception of history are changing as the world grows smaller. Weaving together daring literary criticism with front-line reporting on events such as the end of the Cold War in Poland, the plight of indigenous cultures in Mexico and Guatemala and African reactions to the G8 Summit, Henighan evokes a world where astonishing cultural riches flourish under siege from all-consuming commercialized uniformity. Whether illustrating in irreverent detail the reasons for the popularity of Ian McEwans Atonement, providing authoritative accounts of the work of writers such as Gabriel Garca Mrquez, Alice Munro, Haruki Murakami or Jos Saramago, writing with fresh insight on Cuban literary politics or the practice of literary translation, or intervening with forceful clarity in debates about the Giller Prize, book reviewing or Margaret Atwoods LongPen book-signing technology, Henighan is equally engaged with the word and the world. The work of a writer whose vision is simultaneously local and global, A Report on the Afterlife of Culture is entertaining and essential reading. About the Author:
Nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for When Words Deny the World, Stephen Henighan is also the author of two previous novels, two short story collections and a widely praised travel memoir. He is a frequent contributor to magazines such as Geist (Vancouver), Matrix (Montreal), The Times Literary Supplement (London) and the Bulletin of Spanish Studies (Glasgow). His work has been published in eight countries.
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