{"id":1038,"date":"2021-06-25T13:23:19","date_gmt":"2021-06-25T11:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/limbaromana.org\/en\/?p=1038"},"modified":"2021-06-25T13:23:19","modified_gmt":"2021-06-25T11:23:19","slug":"__trashed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/limbaromana.org\/en\/__trashed\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of the Book \u201cCultural Hybridization in the Contemporary Novel\u201d by Diana-Eugenia Panait-Ioncic\u0103"},"content":{"rendered":"

The book Cultural Hybridization in the Contemporary Novel, <\/em>written by Diana Ioncic\u0103, takes a look at several aspects of cultural hybridization. The author is not an adept of the theory of postolonialism, so widespread in the nowadays cultural landscape.<\/p>\n

She stresses the idea of plural cultural identities<\/em>, meaning a combination of cultural elements. These identities are hybrid identities,<\/em> which cannot be termed as Oriental or Occidental, but are to be found in-between<\/em>. She mentions that the three writers studied in the book are extremely different in the relation to the parent-culture (a harmonious relation, <\/em>for Michael Ondaatje, an ambiguous relation<\/em>, for Kazuo Ishiguro, and a disharmonious relation, <\/em>in the case of Salman Rushdie). Moreover, she says that the three writers are concerned with issues related to displacement, migrant identities, homelessness, <\/em>extremely important matters in the current complicated and culturally chaotic environment.<\/p>\n

According to the author, the best way to describe Rushdie\u2019s novels would be as starting from the past. <\/em>On the contrary, she asserts, Ishiguro\u2019s novels are aimed towards the past<\/em> (with a point of view situated in the present). She goes on to say that all the three writers share a fundamental experience \u2013 that of migration <\/em>\u2013 \u201cRushdie was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India and moved to UK (Cambridge) in1960; Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan and emigrated to UK (Guildford) in the same year, and Ondaatje originates from Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and moved to London in 1954, and then settled in Canada in 1962 \u2013 an experience that might account for their common obsession with the history and with the past\u201d. [1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Moreover, the writers are united by the fact that they appeal to similar techniques when building a hybrid identity: to national identity, to art and in particular to storytelling<\/em>.<\/p>\n

According to the author, the main features of culturally hybridized texts<\/em> are as follows: these texts are obsessed with questioning <\/em>everything, from national identity, religion, to (official) history. They are concerned with multiplicity<\/em>, dealing with plural selves and hybrid identities. They show playfulness<\/em> at the level of narrative structure. Also, culturally hybridized texts demonstrate political involvement.<\/em> This is done openly \u2013 in Rushdie\u2019s novels, or indirectly \u2013 in Ishiguro\u2019s works.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They show an obsession with history<\/em>, more specifically, the relation between public and personal history<\/em> and with details<\/em>. They believe in the power of art<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The book is an interesting read for those passionate about literature and also for readers interested in history or trying to understand history in the making. It is a useful tool, as well, for those trying to make sense of the intricate cultural landscape of our times, as it is devoid of the all too common mixture of prejudice and politically correct language that makes so many books of this kind extremely hard to read and to enjoy.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

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References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Books<\/strong><\/p>\n