I am inviting original essays on the literary works written by American writers, who have lived in Paris from the 1800s to the present, for a book tentatively titled American Writers in Paris: Then and Now.

Although American expatriate literature in Paris is typified by the Lost Generation or the Jazz Age of the 1920s, Americans show a distinct presence in Paris from Jefferson to the Jazz Age and from the Jazz Age to the present. Lifting social repressions, liberating artistic expressions, alleviating psychological ailments, inspiring artistic creations, enriching personal experiences, or enhancing economic standards at different times of history, Paris has turned out to be an alternative abode to live and write for American writers.

The book aims to focus on writers of all genres (poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction) in five periods: those (such as James Fenimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Margaret Fuller, or Elihu Washburne) who arrived in Paris before 1890, those (such as Janet Flanner, Djuna Barnes, Anita Loos, E.E. Cummings, or Langston Hughes) who crossed the Atlantic between 1890 and 1930, those (such as Dawn Powell, A.J. Liebling, Richard Wright, Chester Himes, or May Sarton) who went to Paris between 1930 and 1970, and those (such as Diane Johnson, Edmund White, Harriet Welty Rochefort, Adam Gopnik, or Michael Lewis) who have traveled between the continents from 1970 to the present.

The primary readers of this essay collection will be academic. The secondary readers will be the general public. Although some publications about the works of American writers who lived in Paris before the 1900s exist and a number of books on the writers of the Lost Generation have been published, no existing volume encompasses the projected scope and anticipated variety of genres of the prospective volume and none includes the writers who currently are living in Paris or writing about this city. Offering academic essays particularly on the experiences of earlier writers and writings of current sojourners in Paris, the book will fill an academic void and meet the needs of readers both academic and general.

Proposals, between 700 and 1,000 words, should include a clear title; an original thesis, indicating a unique and significant contribution to the relevant scholarship; a compelling argument; and the critical and theoretical strategies which will be undertaken in the essay. Complete curriculum vitae and contact information should accompany the proposals.

The deadline for proposals is September 30, 2021. All materials should be sent electronically to Ferdâ Asya at ferda.asya@gmail.com A receipt-email will be sent immediately and a response-email will be sent by October 31, 2021.

Essays, between 20 and 30 double-spaced pages, should be written following the (9th ed., 2021) MLA style for format, in-text citation, and documentation; and using the Times New Roman, 12 point type.

The deadline for completed essays is January 31, 2022.

Please direct questions to Ferdâ Asya at ferda.asya@gmail.com

Ferdâ Asya, PhD
Email: ferda.asya@gmail.com