Narratives of place, belonging and language

the long version

Whether myth, novel or fairy-story, part of the human condition is to tell stories about ourselves and our society. This book focuses on stories of contemporary, European-born authors who have lived 'in-between' two or more languages and experienced different cultural and linguistic environments. Drawing on a strong theoretical framework, the book explores the human desire to find one's 'own place' in new cultural contexts and the role of language in shaping a sense of belonging in society. The research draws substantially on original life narrative interviews with writers who write at the 'cutting edge' of languages. These oral narratives are supplemented with published memoirs in English, French, German and Irish. Throughout the author reflects on her own fieldwork as a temporary migrant in Germany.