Colonialism & Postcolonialism

With best-selling novels like Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible and influential academic texts such as Edward Said's Orientalism, this collection gathers books from across genres to explore the complex dynamics and lasting legacies of colonialism.

Kim

by Rudyard Kipling

Publication year 1901

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Race, Community, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, British Literature, Coming of Age, World History, Indian Literature

Kim is a novel by the prolific author and poet Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), who was the first English-language recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The novel was originally released in a serialized version in 1900-1901, after which it was published in book form. It offers a wide-ranging view of the cultural and religious diversity of British India in the late-19th century, as perceived through the experience of an Indian-enculturated Irish boy named Kim. Along... Read Kim Summary

King Leopold's Ghost

by Adam Hochschild

Publication year 1998

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Colonialism

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, European History, World History, Race & Racism, Politics & Government, Biography

Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost offers a substantial overview of the period from 1895 until 1908 when King Leopold II of Belgium ruled the Congo—or at least the very large territory around the Congo River basin that he claimed as his own. The book also addresses the years leading up to Leopold’s acquisition of the Congo and those following the colony’s transfer to the control of the Belgian government. Though much of the book is devoted... Read King Leopold's Ghost Summary

King of the Wind

by Marguerite Henry

Publication year 1948

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Disability, Language, Race, Coming of Age, Animals, Friendship, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Beauty, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Animals, Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1948, Marguerite Henry’s Newbery Medal-winning King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian is a middle-grade historical novel that blends fact and legend to tell the story of one of the founding sires of modern Thoroughbred horses. Through the journey of Agba, a Moroccan stableboy with a speech disability, and his horse, Sham, Henry creates a tale about how loyalty, perseverance, and fate shaped the history of horse racing.This guide... Read King of the Wind Summary

Kiss of the Fur Queen

by Tomson Highway

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Family, Childhood & Youth, Colonialism

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Animals, Love & Sexuality, LGBTQ+, World History, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature

... Read Kiss of the Fur Queen Summary

Leaf Storm

by Gabriel García Márquez

Publication year 1955

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Femininity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Grief & Death

Leaf Storm and Other Stories is a collection of fiction by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The collection includes the title novella, Leaf Storm (La Hojarasca), first published in its original Spanish-language text in 1955. When Gregory Rabassa produced the first English translation of the novella, it was published (originally in 1972) alongside six short stories representing García Márquez’s work between 1951 and 1968.The collection offers an early glimpse into the magical realism and rural... Read Leaf Storm Summary

Lieutenant Nun

by Catalina de Erauso

Publication year 1997

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Masculinity, Religion & Spirituality, Femininity, The Past, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Immigration

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Historical Nonfiction, History, Trauma & Abuse, Education, Education, World History, LGBTQ+, Classic Fiction, Biography

... Read Lieutenant Nun Summary

Lord Jim

by Joseph Conrad

Publication year 1900

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Regret, Race, Colonialism

Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Modernism, World History

Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim is an iconic story about the height—and folly—of the British imperial enterprise. Published as a serialized novel between October 1899 and November 1900, it details the adventures of a sailor turned trade agent who seeks his fortune and reputation on the outskirts of empire. After an incident with the Patna, one of the ships on which he sails, Jim flees to avoid the stain on his reputation. Eventually, he arrives in... Read Lord Jim Summary

Lost Horizon

by James Hilton

Publication year 1933

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Race, Politics & Government, War, Art, Literature

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Travel Literature

Lost Horizon by James Hilton is a utopian novel that introduces the fictional setting of Shangri-La, which would feature in several later utopian works of fiction by other writers. Originally published in 1933, the book was adapted for the screen in 1937 and 1973, as well as for television in 1997. The novel won the Hawthornden Prize, a cash prize awarded for imaginative fiction, and it became an international bestseller under Pocket Books, sometimes credited... Read Lost Horizon Summary

Madame Butterfly

by Giacomo Puccini

Publication year 1904

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Colonialism

Tags Music, Drama, Italian Literature, Romance

Madam Butterfly is the English adaptation of the tragic Italian opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. It opened in Milan in 1904, and the orchestral score was first published in 1906 by Giulio Ricordi. Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa wrote the libretto (text of the opera). Puccini based his opera on the play by David Belasco and story by John Luther Long, as well as the novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti. These sources, and... Read Madame Butterfly Summary

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Race, Grief, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, Equality

Tags Romance, British Literature, Historical Fiction

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a contemporary comedy of manners written by English-born author Helen Simonson, exploring the tensions that erupt in a conservative English village when a respected widower, Major Pettigrew, falls in love with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper’s widow. While the Major longs for companionship with the gracious and sensible Mrs. Ali, he must also navigate conflicts with his self-absorbed son, the changing economy of rural English life, and the melodrama unfolding... Read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Summary

Maria Chapdelaine

by Louis Hémon

Publication year 1913

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Family, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Maria Chapdelaine (1916) is a novel by Breton author Louis Hémon. Maria Chapdelaine tells the story of its titular protagonist, a young woman who lives on her family’s farm in a remote stretch of Québec wilderness. Against the backdrop of a brutal and unpredictable climate, Maria must choose between three suitors who each represent different lifestyles: A trapper, a farmer, and a factory worker who has emigrated to the United States. Hémon explores The Hardships... Read Maria Chapdelaine Summary