The extensive coverage of this highly readable investigation makes deeper tendencies in post-war and contemporary border writing visible for the first time. Providing historical, social, political and legal contexts in a language that researchers in other disciplines will feel at home in, it makes a forceful argument for the centrality of borders as a theme that connects post-communist and postcolonial literature about Europe. -- Johan Schimanski, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Oslo, Norway Impressive in its erudition yet remarkably accessible, this book investigates transnational border writing in Europe, mapping the shifting discourse and attitudes toward immigration in the post-World War II era. Through an analysis of a large corpus of literary works, Hammond examines how literature both reflects and shapes evolving perceptions of the Other within fluctuating political and economic landscapes. By challenging the nation-based framework of literary studies, Hammond's work presents a compelling model for reimagining a discipline in crisis. -- Carla Calargé, Professor of French and Francophone Studies, Florida Atlantic University, USA Borders determine us more than we know and this is best described in fiction, writes Andrew Hammond in this incredible book, from which one can learn all there is about visible and invisible borders. -- Slavenka Drakulic, Writer and Journalist Ambitious in scope and compellingly readable, Modern European Borders in Fiction is an excellent exploration of how contemporary literature reflects and critiques post-war Europe's shifting borders. Hammond's research is extensive and rigorous, his writing lucid, and his insights consistently penetrating. -- Chika Unigwe, Author and Professor of Creative Writing, Georgia College & State University, USA Creative, wide-ranging and inclusive, this is a necessary, impressive and compelling book that makes a firm and significant contribution to decolonizing the study of transnational border writing and centralizing the significance of fictional migrants. * Leila Aboulela, author of River Spirit *
