Tales from everywhere: international fictions from the 20th century

What is the course about?

You willl read, analyse and discuss carefully selected treasures of international fiction from the 1950s and 1960, in English and in translation, some of which, like Stan Barstow’s powerful story of upward mobility A Kind of Loving and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s poignant portrait of unrest in Kenya Weep Not, My Child, have rarely been out of print. Some are recent rediscoveries, such as Han Suyin’s story of forbidden romance in wartime London, Winter Love, and Chingiz Aitmatov’s delicate Kyrgyz fable, Jamilia. Fresh translations of Magda Szabo’s Iza’s Ballad and Tove Ditlevsen’s autobiographical coming of age story,Youth, are also included.

What will we cover?

We will be looking at a selection of novels from Africa, Central Asia, and Europe, revealing how writers working in different cultural, political and social situations contributed to the development of international fiction in the decade from the late 50s to the early 60s. l.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

-Become familiar with the works of writers from Denmark, Hungary, Kenya and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Great Britain.
- Understand their particular themes and styles.
- Discuss international and comparative literatures with confidence.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is for anyone with an interest in 20th c. fiction and discovering classics from other cultures. You will need an enthusiasm for reading and discussing texts in a group. You will be willing to read outside class. You will be interested in listening to the responses of other students to the works discussed.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The first session will introduce the books and their authors to the class. In the following weeks, brief opening lectures will lead into large group discussions with relevant questions and interventions from the tutor. In the final session, we will discuss and evaluate all the works studied.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Please buy or borrow the following titles for the weekly schedule:
Week 1: intro
Week 2:, Jamila by Chingiz Aitmatov (Kyrgyzstan) (Telegram Books)
Weeks 3 and 4: A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow (G|B) ( Parthian)
Week 5: Winter Love by Han Suyin (China, GB) (Fox, Finch and Tepper)
Week 6 and 7: Iza’s Ballad by Magda Szabo (Hungary) (Vintage)
Week 8: Youth by Tove Ditlevsen (Denmark) (Penguin)
Week 9: Weep Not, My Child bt Ngugi Wa Thiongo (Kenya) (AMC)
Week 10: conclusions.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Please see other international fiction and literary non-fiction courses on our website at www.citylit.ac.uk under History, Culture and Writing/Literature/Fiction and History, Culture and Writing/Literature/Literary Non-Fiction.