This course is devoted to 21st century fiction. Recognizing that some of the most exciting and innovative literary expression occurs outside of the United States, the course focuses on fiction by writers from the African postcolonial and black diasporic world. We explore a strong variety of styles and perspectives, that includes tragedy, comedy, realism and postmodernism, and consider their aesthetic and their social implications. The novels provide insight into topics that concern members of the overdeveloped ‘West’ as well as the ‘developing’ worlds: the history and legacies of colonialism, the traumas of civil war, the transnational dynamics of culture, the formations of local, immigrant and national identities within globalization. Students are expected to keep up with an intensive reading schedule. Selected writers may include David Chariandy, Brian Chikwava, Bernardine Evaristo, Zakes Mda, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and Yvonne Vera.