The first collection of essays to explore the diversity of female identity as it is expressed in the literature of 29 world writers from 15 different countries.

This collection of essays on women's writing since 1945 is the first to explore the diversity of female identity as it is expressed in the literatures of Africa, India, Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Russia, Canada (Quebec), and the United States (including texts by African, Chinese, Hispanic, and Jewish American writers). The essays address the issues of sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism and colonialism in the construction of identity. They employ a wide range of methodologies from socio-criticism to postmodernism, and exhibit the breadth and scope of current feminist literary theories. The main focus is on the interrelationships between female identity and place, where place suggests both physical and metaphorical space.