A probing study of the still-growing field of gender-and-nation interaction, and of how fiction has proved foundational in the imagining of the post-independence nation; Offers a fresh, informed take on the ways in which nations are represented in gendered terms, as mother- or father-land, and also as narrative products; Comparative exploration of West, southern and East African writing, and India - a relatively unique approach in postcolonial studies, which tends to focus on the study of particular locales and regional literature; Crosses postcolonial debates with feminist critiques, bringing gender concepts and issues of sexuality to postcolonial studies; Maintains a fine balance between textual readings and close contextual awareness