Cirrus@Austlit

'In The world republic of letters, Pascale Casanova suggests that an intimate relation between politics and literature is a feature of postcolonial nations because the relative lack of literary capital on the margins prevents the autonomy that is available to writers in the great national literary spaces such as France, England and the United States. The pressing imperatives of post-colonial responsibility certainly pose a particular challenge for contemporary Australian novelists aspiring not just to local distinction, but also access to international markets and a wider reputation in the world republic of letters. In Australia, the writer's aspiration to a wider market share and greater cultural capital has often been construed as a forlorn search for a reliable readership. An established following provides a foundation for the development of a consistent artistic oeuvre, which is in turn able to support the critical topoi of canonisation: promise, originality, development and genius.' (Publication abstract)