I am delighted to introduce
you to Issue 3
of The International Literary Quarterly.
Time has flown since our previous issue this February, a month once characterized by Pakistan's Zulfikar Ghose as “nasty, British and short”. Ghose’s trenchancy is not confined to seasonal vicissitudes, as evidenced by his essay published in this forum, spelling out the pitfalls of literary provincialism. He will surely feel at home here given the diverse cultural origins and universal voices of an array of writers such as: Michael Blumenthal, Denise Duhamel, Roberta Gordenstein and Geoffrey Hartman, each proving that American literature is the equal of any being written today; C.J.K. Arkell, Jill Dawson and Anthony Rudolf, reminding us that British literati are hardly lagging behind; and Marjorie Agosín and Irina Ratushinskaya, from Chile and Russia respectively, outstanding exponents of a poetry both lyrical and defiant.
All of these authors’ texts are enhanced by arresting artwork by our Guest Artist, Lydia Rubio, originally from Cuba, who offers us an intensely personal reworking of Rubens’ Flight of Lot and his Family from Sodom.
On that note, I wish you all happy reading this spring—let’s hope it’s a good one!
