About our Researchers

Isabel Alonso Breto

Isabel Alonso Breto is a lecturer on Postcolonial Literatures in  English at the University of Barcelona. She has written on literatures by women of Caribbean, Canadian, Indian, Sri Lankan and South African origin. As a member of RATNAKARA, her research has mostly focussed on Sri Lankan cultures and literatures as connected to the wider Indian Ocean area. Isabel is the Vice-director of the Centre for Australian Studies at the University of Barcelona and she is also interested in creative writing, storytelling, and translation.

Academic articles in journals

Somewhere between the Colonial and the Postcolonial: An Interview with Gibraltarian Author M. G. Sanchez.” Ariel: A Review of International English Literature 52, 3–4 (2021) 249-261.

“On a Personal Note: Meditations upon Care while Translating ‘The Managementof Grief’.” TranscUlturAl: A Journal of Translation and Cultural Studies 13 (2021) 49-54.

Don’t be sorry. We didn’t do this’: Diaspora Choices in Vasugi Ganeshananthan’s Love Marriage. Kritika Kultura 37 (2021) 82–101

“The Ethics of Care in the No Fire Zone: Anuk Arudpragasam’s The Story of a Brief Marriage.” Atlantis. Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies 43.1 (2021) 72-88.

“Ocean as Heritage: On Tamil Poetry and Identity, Transnational Politics, and the Recognition of Genocide. An Interview with Cheran.” Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses 82 (2021) 201-212.

“Sunil Yapa’s Yourt Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist: Protest, Fiction and the Ethics of Care.” American Studies in Scandinavia 51.2 (2019) 3-23.

“Homing Sorrow: Bharati Mukherjee’s ‘The Management of Grief’ as Metadiasporic Narrative and Inscription of Political Empowerment.” Miscelánea, 56 (2017) 13-31.

“Plural Narratives of the Sri Lankan Nation in Manuka Wijesinghe’s Theravada Man.Contemporary Buddhism 17.2 (2016) 217-235.

“Althea Prince´s Loving this Man: An Intersectional Approach to Migration, Gender and Race Politics.”  ES: Revista de Filología Inglesa 36 (2015) 27-46.

“Water, White Tigers and Corrupt Neoliberalism: Controversial Entrepeneurs in Recent Fiction from the Subcontinent.” Indialogs: Spanish Journal of Indian Studies 2 (2015) 5-22.

“A Poetics of Disruption’: Farida Karodia’s A Shattering of Silence and the Exiled Writer’s Dihiliz Position.Prague Journal of English Studies 4.1 (2015) 77-90.

“Doireann MacDermott: Una pionera de los estudios universitarios en inglés en España.” Anuari de Filologia. Literatures Comparades 4 (2014) 99-108.

“Ameena Hussein’s The Moon in the Water: A Critical Intervention from a Sri Lankan Muslim.” Phoenix: Sri Lanka Journal of English in the Commonwealth X-XI (2013-2014) 105-122.

“Transcultural Worlds: Politics of Place, Race and Gender in the Writing of Canadian Women of Afro-Caribbean Descent.SARE: Southeast Asian Review of English 51 (2013) 21-38.

«Enormous Cracks, Towering Mountains:’ The Displacement of Migration as Intimate Violence in Sri Lanka-Australia Migration Narratives.” South Asian Review 33.3 (2012) 125-138.

“Eating One’s Way through History: Food and Politics in Manuka Wijesinghe’s Monsoons and Potholes. Coolabah 5 (2011) 3-14.

“Hacia una teoría de la escritura: requisitos para la praxis de la escritura creativa y apuntes sobre su didáctica.” Moenia 14 (2009) 405-415.

“Tracing the Modern and the Postmodern in Two Novels by Margaret Atwood.” Canadaria 5 (2009) 7-16.

 “Translating English into English: Language and Politics through the Body in Marlene Nourbese Philip’s She Tries her Tongue Her silence Softly Breaks.” Pegasus: A Journal of Literary and Critical Studies VI (2007) 77-90.

“Requisitos para la escritura creativa y apuntes sobre su didáctica.” Escritos: Revista del Centro de Ciencias del Lenguaje 35/36 (2007) 105-122.

“Espesor del relato femenino caribeño: trenzado de motivos en ‘Barlovento’, de Marvel Moreno.” Caribbean Studies 34: 2 (2006) 205-232.

 Posmodernidad y revulsión de la Historia en Looking for Livingstone, An Odyssey of Silence.” Tonos Digital. Revista electrónica de filología 12 (2006).

 The Streets, de Marlene Nourbese Philip: denuncia y redención de la Historia.” BELLS. Barcelona English Language and Literature Studies 15 (2006).

Some Reflections about Barbarism in Africa: An Interview with Jack Mapanje.” BELLS. Barcelona English Language and Literature Studies 13 (2004).

“La lucha contra el racismo en la obra de Marlene Nourbese Philip.” Anuari de Filologia XXV-A, 12 (2003) 15-26.

Ecos del Caribe, de Micheline Dusseck: Identidad Femenina, Identidad Racial.” Anales del Caribe (1998) 307-326.

 

Book chapters

“A Poetics of Disruption: Traumatized War Children and Defective Human Rights in A Shattering of Silence.In Family Relationships in Contemporary Crime Fiction: La Famiglia. Ed. Bill Phillips. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2019. 137-151.

“Transformation and Transnationalism in Post-Apartheid South-Africa: Farida Karodia’s Boundaries (2003).” In Relations and Networks in South African Indian Writing. Ed. Felicity Hand. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2017. 88-106.

“The Shift from Commonwealth to Postcolonial Literatures: Patrick White’s “The Twitching Colonel” and Manuka Wijesinghe’s Theravada Man” in Patrick White Centenary: The Legacy of a Prodigal Son. Ed. Cynthia Vanden Driesen and Bill Ashcroft. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2014. 302-318.

“Thug Controversies, or, Past and Present Views of Thuggee” in Reviewing Imperial Conflict. Ed. Ana Mendes and Cristina Baptista. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2013. 157-167.

“Canadian into Catalan: The Translation of Anglo-Canadian Authors in Catalonia” in Rewriting Canadian Literature in Spain. Ed. Pilar Somacarrera. London: Versita, 2013. 90-107. With Marta Ortega Sáez.

“Afroeurope in the Canary Islands: An Interview with Antonio Lozano” in Afroeurope: Readings and Projects. Ed. Sabrina Brancato. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholar Press, 2011. 223-231.

“Migración y contextos multiculturales: Literaturas de origen srilanqués en Canadá y Australia” in Lives in Migration: Rupture and Continuity. Ed. Martin Renes. Barcelona: Centre d’Estudis Australians, 2011. 91-108.

“Tracing Hybridity in Sri Lankan Writing: Yasmine Gooneratne’s A Change of Skies.” In Change, Conflict and Convergence: Austral–Asian Scenarios. Ed. Cynthia and Ian Vanden Driesen. New Delhi: Orient BlackSwan, 2010. 326-339.

“Multiple Serendips: Patterns of Hybridity in Sri Lankan Writing and Jean Arasanayagam’s ‘All is Burning’” in Indicities/Indices/Indícios: Hybridations problématiques dans les littératures de l’Ocean Indien. Ed. Felicity Hand and Mar García. Saint-Pierre: Editions K’A, 2010. 99-116.

“A Pedagogy of Devastation: National Catholicism and Cultural Annihilation in Children’s Literature in Franco’s Spain” in Indigeneity: Culture and Interpretation. Ed. Geoffrey Davies and Ganesh Devy. New Delhi: Orient BlackSwan, 2009. 319- 328. With Marta Ortega Sáez.

 Translating English into English in a Case of Symbolic Translation: Language and Politics through the Body in Marlene Nourbese Philip’s She Tries Her Tongue, Her Silence Softly Breaks” in New Trends in Translation and Cultural Identity. Ed. Micaela MuñozMaría del Carmen Buesa GómezMaría Angeles Ruiz Moneva. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholar Press, 2008.  21-34.

“Cultural Hybridity in Afro-caribbean-Canadian Women Writers” in Recycling Culture(s). Ed. Sara Martin Alegre. New Castle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholar Press, 2008. 105-114.

 “Reenacting History: The Underground Railroad Live!” in Transports in the British Empire and the Commonwealth. Ed. Michelle Lurdos and Judith Misrahi-Barak. Montpellier: Les Carnets du Cerpac-U. Montpellier III, 2007. 225-239.

 “Manicheism and Mimicry in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s Heat and Dust” in Missions of Interdependence: A Literary Directory. Ed. Gerhard Stiltz. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2002. 205- 214.

 “Plurality and Oneness of Time and All in Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day” in Homage to India: Reflections on Indian Culture 50 Years After Independence. Ed. Kathleen Firth and Felicity Hand. Bellaterra: Servei de Publicacions Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2001. 49-55.

 

Introductions and articles in conference proceedings

“The Case of the POCRIF Research Group.” Coolabah 20 (2018) 1-8.

“Poets all Around.” Blue Gum 5 (2108).

“Violences: Around and Inside”. Indialogs: The Journal of the Spanish Association for Indian Studies 3 (2016) 3-6.

“Looking Back: Inspiration to Move On.” Journal Coolabah 13 (2014). With Maria Grau, Kathleen Hoyos, Bill Phillips and Martin Renes.

“Pacific Solutions in Hindsight.” Journal Coolabah 10 (2013). With Martin Renes.

“The Younger Child.” Blue Gum 1 (2014). With Emma martinell, Elisa Morera de la Vall and Martin Renes.

“Ochún, Atabey, y el Cobre: la Incerteza Caribeña como Múltiple Modelo Teórico para la Hibridación” in New Perspectives on English Studies. Proceedings of the 32nd International AEDEAN Conference. Ed. Marian Armengual, Maria Juan and Joana Salazar. Palma de Mallorca: Universitat de les Illes Balears, 2009. 371-376.

“Of Resistant Mothers and Women Turned Goddesses: Marlene Nourbese Philip’s Salmon Courage in Proceedings of the 31st International AEDEAN Conference. Ed. María Jesús Modia. A Coruña: Universidade A Coruña, 2008.

“On Women’s Bonds and Diaspora Rearrangements: Aspects of Makeda Silvera’s The Heart does not Bend” in Proceedings of the 30th International AEDEAN Conference. Ed. María Losada Friend et al. Huelva: Universidad de Huelva, 2007.

 Perspectives on Postcolonial Studies” in Proceedings of the 30th International AEDEAN Conference. Ed. María Losada Friend et al. Huelva: Universidad de Huelva, 2007.

 

Critical reviews and other publications

Black November: Writings on the Sikh Massacres of 1984 and the Aftermath.” Nexus 21.02 (2022) 27-29.

“Mark G. Sanchez: The Healthy Exercise of Border-Crossing.”  The Complutense Journal of English Studies 28 (2020) 229-231.

“La traducción del dolor: sobre «La gestión del dolor», de Bharati Mukherjee.” Hermeneus: Journal of Research in Translation and Interpreting, 21 (2019) 695-701.

“Crítica de Palmeras en la nieve.” Imagofagia: Revista de la asociación argentina de Estudios de Cine y Audiovisual 15 (2017).

Literature for Our Times: Postcolonial Studies in the Twenty-First Century.” Review in Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos XXXV 2 (2013) 219-225.

“Desde Bucaramanga.” Artez: Revista de las Artes Escénicas 127 (2007).

“Un canto a la vida.” Turia 57 (2001) 376-377.

“Su’ifefiloi: la poesía de Sia Figiel.” Auna 1 (2000).

“Sia Figiel: noticias del Pacífico Sur.” Lateral 68 (2000) 6-7.

“Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill: ‘Si Irlanda es un país celta es porque el gaélico sigue vivo’.” El Ciervo 587 (2000) 74-75.

“Poesía caribeña: el compromiso de las mujeres negras.” Aula de Poesia de Barcelona 00 (1999) 4-5.

“Amryl Johnson: la experiencia que no se puede traducir.” Aula de Poesia de Barcelona 00 (1999) 6-10. With Sabrina Brancato.

“Todo es cuento.” El Ciervo: revista mensual de pensamiento y cultura 579 (1999) 17.

Inuit, cómo somos las personas.” El Ciervo: revista mensual de pensamiento y cultura 574 (1999) 13-14.

“El vers llliure és més fidel a la velocitat del nostre secle”, entrevista a Peter Forbes. Avui, 17 junio 1999.

“Textos del absurdo”, en Aula de poesia de Barcelona, n. 0, 1999.

 

Creative Writing

 “Feeling and Healing in Languages.” Coolabah 30 (2021) 120-127.

Elogio de la tabla de surf y otros poemas desde el cáncer de mama. Barcelona: Helicóptero, 2021.

“Remember”; “Springtime that year.” ASAA (Association for the Study of Australasia in Asia) Newsletter July/August (2020) 9-10.

“Riding the Sea Word.” The Polish Journal of Aesthetics 51: 4 (2018) 133-145.

“Nosotros.” Raudem: Revista de Estudios de las Mujeres 5 (2018) 262-276.

“Rebeca.” Place: 35 relatos, 35 ciudades. Barcelona: Vasava, 2004. 341-347.

“El estanque.” Lectora 5-6 (2000). 171-174.

“Ese hermoso cuento tuyo.” Alba (1997).

“Y eso.” Palimpsestos 9-10 (1996) 18-20.

“’Sorpresa.” Espejo 3 (1996) 24-25.

“Nicolás.” El ojo de la aguja 6 (1994) 109-111.

“El loco del circo.” Revista de la Asociación Española de Circo 7-8 (1994).

“Una storia semplice.” Gaceta Universitaria 57 (1993) 10.

 

 Edited Journal Issues

Coolabah 20 (2018).

 Blue Gum 5 (2018).

Indialogs: The Journal of the Spanish Association for Indian Studies 3 (2016).

Blue Gum 2 (2015). With Martin Renes.

Blue Gum 1 (2014). With Emma martinell, Elisa Morera de la Vall and Martin Renes.

Coolabah 13 (2014). With Maria Grau, Kathleen Hoyos, Bill Phillips and Martin Renes.

Coolabah 10 (2013). With Martin Renes.

 

Translation

Cheran, Siembra solo palabras. Barcelona, Navona, 2019.

Mukherjee, Bharati, «La gestión del dolor». Hermeneus: Journal of Research in Translation and Interpreting, 20 (2018) 609-625.

Cheran, poemas. Blue Gum 5 (2018) 20-26.

Saumitra Chakravarty, poemas. Bells 13 (2004).

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, poemas. Metamorphoses: Journal of Literary Translation 12 (2004) 221- 256.

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, poemas. “Pliego de poesía”. El Ciervo: revista mensual de pensamiento y cultura 587, 2000, 48-50.

Raimond Gaita, Romulus, mi padre. Barcelona: Ediciones del Bronce, 2001.

Amryl Johson, poemas. Nómadas de las palabras. Barcelona: Virus Editorial/Translit, 1997. 155-166.

Dionne Brand, “Fotografía.” Revista Española de Estudios Canadienses III 2 (1997) 143-146.