Narratives of third world cities

This study focuses on a selection of third world modern novels written during the 1980s by writers who tried to express their perception of the newly emerging modern city in the post-independence era. The study explores the impact of twentieth century modern thought on artistic creation as manifested in third world literature. Particular attention is given to the creative writing techniques used by third world writers as well as the experience of the intellectual in the newly transformed capitalist city. The study deals with three novels from three different cultures: Midnight's Children by British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie, The House of the Spirits by Chilean novelist Isabel Allende, and The Trench, the second part of Saudi writer Abdelrahman Munif's quintet Cities of salt.