This handbook is the first-of-its-kind comprehensive overview of fantasy outside the Anglo-American hegemony. While most academic studies of fantasy follow the well-trodden path of focusing on Tolkien, Rowling, and others, our collection spotlights rich and unique fantasy literatures in India, Australia, Italy, Greece, Poland, Russia, China, and many other areas of Europe, Asia, and the global South. The first part focuses on the theoretical aspects of fantasy, broadening and modifying existing definitions to accommodate the global reach of the genre. The second part contains essays illuminating specific cultures, countries, and religious or ethnic traditions. From Aboriginal myths to (self)-representation of Tibet, from the appropriation of the Polish Witcher by the American pop culture to modern Greek fantasy that does not rely on stories of Olympian deities, and from Israeli vampires to Talmudic sages, this collection is an indispensable reading for anyone interested in fantasy fiction and global literature.
"The editors of The Palgrave Handbook of Global Fantasy ... have offered a substantive work that fills an important gap in the scholarly exploration of fantasy literature through their aptly-named volume. The essays contained therein examine a wide variety of fantasy texts written by diverse, non- Anglo-American authors from around the globe. ... The concepts discussed are, unsurprisingly, contextualized in global terms throughout the text. ... Scholars and students of fantasy would do well to engage with these provocations." (Mark A. Fabrizi, Anglistik, Vol. 35 (1), 2024)