Paradoxes of postcolonial culture: contemporary women writers of the Indian and Afro-Italian diaspora

283 Pages·2004·2.14 MB·English

by  Sandra Ponzanesi

S A N D R A P O N Z A N E S I
PARADOXES
OF
POSTCOLONIAL
CULTURE
CCoonntemporary Women Writers
of the
IInnddiian and Afro-Italian Diaspora
P a r a d o x e s o f
P o s t c o l o n i a l C u l t u r e
SUNY series,
Explorations in Postcolonial Studies
Emmanuel C. Eze and Arif Dirlik, editors
P a r a d o x e s o f
P o s t c o l o n i a l C u l t u r e
Contemporary Women Writers of
the Indian and Afro-Italian Diaspora
Sandra Ponzanesi
S U N Y P
TAT E N I V E R S I T Y O F E W O R K R E S S
Published by
STATEUNIVERSITYOFNEWYORKPRESS, ALBANY
© 2004 State University of New York
Printed in the United States of America
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ponzanesi, Sandra, 1967–
Paradoxes of post-colonial culture : contemporary women writers of the
Indian and Afro-Italian diaspora / Sandra Ponzanesi.
p. cm. — (SUNY series, explorations in postcolonial studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7914-6201-3 (acid-free paper)
1. Indic literature (English)—Women authors—History and criticism.
2. American literature—South Asian American authors—History and criticism.
3. English literature—South Asian authors—History and criticism. 4. Italian
literature—Women authors—History and criticism. 5. East Indian American
women—Intellectual life. 6. Immigrants’writings—History and criticism.
7. East Indians—England—Intellectual life. 8. Emigration and immigration
in literature. 9. Africans—Italy—Intellectual life. 10. East Indian
Americans in literature. 11. Postcolonialism in literature. 12. Women and
literature. I. Title. II. Series.
PR9488.P66 2004
820.9'9287'0954—dc22
2004045295
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my family.
For teaching me
The value of roots.

The One Who Goes Away
There are always, in each of us,
these two: the one who stays,
the one who goes away—
—Eleanor Wilner
But I am the one Maybe the joy lies
who always goes away. in always being able to leave—
The first time was the most— But I never left home.
was the most I carried it away
silent with me—here in my darkness
I did not speak, in myself. If I go back, retrace my steps.
did not answer
those who stood waving I will not find
with the soft noise that first home anywhere outside
of saris flapping in the wind. in that mother-land place.
To help the journey We weren’t allowed
coconuts were flung to take much
from Juhu beach but I managed to hide
into the Arabian Sea— my home behind my heart.
But I saw beggars jump in
after those coconuts—a good catch Look at the deserted beach
for dinner. And in the end now it’s dusk—no sun
who gets the true luck to turn the waves gold,
from those sacrified coconuts? no moon to catch
the waves in silver mesh—
I am the one
who always goes away. Look
at the in-between darkness
Sometimes I’m asked if when the sea is unmasked
I were searching for a place she’s no beauty queen.
that can keep my soul Now the wind stops
from wandering beating around the bush—
a place where I can stay
without wanting to leave. While the earth calls
and the hearth calls
Who knows. come back,come back—
(continued)
I am the one I am the one
who always goes away. who always goes
away with my home
Because I must— which can only stay inside
with my home intact in my blood—my home which does not fit
but always changing with any geography.
so the windows don’t match
the doors anymore—the colours
clash in the garden—
And the ocean lives in the bedroom.
—Sujata Bhatt, from “The
Stinking Rose,” 1995
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
1 Touchstones 1
2 The Exuberance of Immigration: Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine 31
3 The Shock of Arrival: Meena Alexander, Fault Lines 51
4 Alienation and Narration: Sara Suleri, Meatless Days 65
5 Floating Myths: Sunetra Gupta, Moonlight into Marzipan 93
6 A Short Story about the Italian Empire: From Fascist Propaganda to
Postcolonial Representations 105
7 Daughters of Empire: Métissageand Hyphenated Identities:
Erminia dell’Oro and Maria Abbebù Viarengo 143
8 Living in Translation: Ribka Sibhatu, Aulò: Canto-Poesia dall’Eritrea 167
9 Voices in Pain: Once We Were Warriors: Sirad S. Hassan, Sette
Gocce di Sangue 185
10 Conclusion 207
Notes 215
Bibliography 235
Index 259