The Aesthetic Cold War: Decolonization and Global Literature

Both the United States and the Soviet Union, and their respective allies, made concerted efforts to recruit, and sometimes to monitor and control, writers from the decolonizing world. Cultural diplomacy programs and state]sponsored surveillance were the Janus faces of the leading Cold War antagonists: actively recruiting writers in the decolonizing world through cultural outreach while using intelligence services to keep tabs on intellectuals. International cultural diplomacy programs, such as the US]backed Congress for Cultural Freedom and the Soviet]sponsored Lotus magazine and literary prize, were extensive collaborative ventures with intellectuals in decolonizing regions. Sometimes, however, as in the cases of C.L.R. James, Claudia Jones, Doris Lessing, and the All]India Progressive Writers' Association, another integral part of the Cold War standoff]]surveillance]]came into play. How nonaligned intellectuals responded to state intimidation, the flip side of cultural diplomacy, is an equally important component of my approach. Combining original archival research and book history with close readings of literary texts, the resulting monograph will contribute to the global literary history of the twentieth century.