A Report on the Afterlife of Culture

Description

In this essay collection, Henighan ranges across continents, centuries and linguistic traditions to examine how literary culture and our perception of history are changing as the world grows smaller. He weaves together daring literary criticism with front-line reporting on events such as the end of the Cold War in Poland and African reactions to the G8 Summit.

“There are problems with Canadian literature, not the least being the undue praise of mediocrity. Henighan does us a service by raising this and other contentious issues.”—Globe and Mail

“For his willingness to say the unsayable, and his enthusiastic piercing of the balloons of Canadian literary pretension, Henighan’s new volume is a welcome addition to the annals of CanLit criticism.”—Quill & Quire

“One of the strengths of this book is Henighan’s global connections. He is well travelled as well as well read. A Report on the Afterlife of Culture speaks to a global audience (while maintaining the local specificities of its Canadian roots, of course).”—Danforth Review

“If you are one of those people who can read non-fiction in the summer, please attempt this much-needed critique of Canadian culture. Then maybe we can all get together as Canadians and agree to start having more fun, instead of writing books about vast fields of snow and falling in love with animals.”—The Tyee

“These pieces provide a demonstration of Henighan’s vast reading of Canada’s and the world’s literatures and languages….. This book both reiterates and furthers many of the debates that have made Henighan a noted figure in Canadian literary circles.”—Canadian Literature