Remodeledly Splendid: Literary Luminaries Profiled: A Redesigned Edition of the Dictionary of Literary Biography
The Victorian Gothic Literature series, a staple for scholars and avid readers alike for over four decades, has unveiled a groundbreaking shift - the first entirely digital-native volume, titled "Twenty-First Century African Poets." This pioneering volume, published exclusively on our Literature Resource Center, marks a significant transition from print to digital publication, as mentioned by Richard Layman, the series' president.
The collection, edited by Kwame Dawes and Glenna Luschei, includes comprehensive biographies of 44 contemporary African poets. Layman described this volume as a testament to the diverse and tumultuous culture of the twelve African nations these poets hail from, and the diaspora that has introduced their work to the world. The poets' work reflects their responses to the anti-colonialist movement, fostering a rich spirit of internationalism rooted in strong traditional values.
New navigation features have been implemented, such as a multi-level table of contents, allowing researchers to navigate effortlessly within the biographical portion of each entry. A "More in the Collection" section has also been added, enabling researchers to navigate seamlessly within biographies in the volume itself.
Each biography now includes sections titled "About the Contributor" and "About the Editor," which provide essential context, helping to enhance information literacy. This transition to a digital format aims to make the resource more accessible, adaptable, and responsive to the changing landscape of research and education.
First published in 1978, the Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) has long enjoyed an esteemed reputation as an essential literary resource. It has been recognized four times as an Outstanding Academic Book by Choice and twice as an Outstanding Reference Source by the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA). The Literary Journal has even described it as "hands-down the best overall literary reference work ever published, a proverbial diamond as big as the Ritz."
The move to a digital format addresses issues concerning accessibility, maintaining the high-quality content while enhancing accessibility and user experience. This includes document-level accessibility tools, which cater to users by allowing them to customize their viewing experience, ensuring the resource remains inclusive and usable for researchers with varying needs.
Moreover, moving to a digital format enables the DLB to embrace adaptability, adapting to the evolving landscape of research and education, meeting the needs and expectations of researchers in today's digital age. The series plans to expand its digital content with a second volume scheduled for August 2025, titled "Chinese Poets Since 1949, Second Series." The aim is to produce additional volumes annually, keeping the content current and comprehensive.
With this digital launch, the DLB series remains committed to its tenets of quality and rigor. It reinvigorates its role in literary research, making its wealth of knowledge more accessible and relevant than ever before, ensuring the DLB continues to be an essential tool for scholars and enthusiasts alike.
- In the realm of information literacy, the new digital version of the Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) offers document-level accessibility tools, catering to users by allowing them to customize their viewing experience.
- The forthcoming "Chinese Poets Since 1949, Second Series" is a testament to the DLB's commitment to adaptability, embracing the evolving landscape of research and education.
- Scholars and enthusiasts can explore the lifestyle, relationships, and fashion-and-beauty influences of contemporary African poets through the "More in the Collection" section of the digital-first volume, "Twenty-First Century African Poets."
- An expansive Digital-First Living Online Resource will be published in August 2025, focusing on the food-and-drink culture from various regions, titled "Irish Cuisine: A Culinary and Cultural History."
- For pet lovers and travel enthusiasts, a comprehensive collection exploring the role of pets in different cultures and societies is under development, tentatively titled "Tails of the World: A Cultural History of Pets and Companion Animals."
