The Great Expatriate Writers Book

Expatriation has been a dynamic motif in the literary and artistic culture of the West since the Renaissance. It became even more so after the French Revolution which provoked an explosion of movement across the continent of Europe and released liberal impulses which had been suppressed by older dynasties. Throughout the 19th century, the habit of expatriation among writers grew until it reached an extraordinary level in the 1920s. Since then, as the world has grown smaller, expatriation in the classical sense of an extended grand tour has become a possibility available to large numbers. In this study the author defines a great expatriate tradition. He distinguishes it from the phenomena of exile which is unwilling, emigration which is commercial in intent, travel which is temporary, retrograde expatriation which seeks a melt-down into the primitive, and the trading of one "patria" for another. The six writers he concentrates on were all in pursuit of a better civilization or a more beautiful landscape. These writers sought to become citizens of the world, rather than just one country and their expatriation urge was from a larger desire to expand the possibilities for individual and collective self-realization, which has characterized literature in the modern period. In chapters on Byron, Stendhal, James, Maugham, Pound and Greene the author provides new insights into the careers and works of an exemplary international group.Read More