Publisher's Synopsis
This six-volume set brings together excerpts of critical commentary on some of the most significant authors in world literary history - from Dante Alighieri to Hans Christian Andersen, and from Jane Austen to Nadine Gordimer. Entries on over 225 major dramatists, poets, novelists and essayists of all nationalities are arranged alphabetically. Special emphasis has been given to writers of the 19th and 20th centuries.;Each entry contains the following: the author's full name, followed by birth and death dates; author portrait; a biographical and critical introduction, containing background material that familiarizes the reader with the author and critical debate surrounding his or her work; a list of principal works, arranged chronologically; major media adaptations; the criticism, arranged chronologically; and bibliographic citations for each excerpted criticism and for further study.
