Foreign Born American Writers Essay

American literature has changed and evolved from the early colonial days to develop characteristics that are unique and which identify it from other literary works. Several writers have contributed to the development of American literature. Some of these writers immigrated into the United States and their works were accepted into the American literary canon. Some of the notable foreign born American writers include Vladimir Nabokov, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and CzesA‚aw MiA‚osz (Czeslaw Milosz). Vladimir Nabokov was born in Russia in 1899 and moved to the United States in 1940 together with his family. Nabokov produced both fiction and non-fiction works including novels, short stories, drama, poetry, and some translations. Among his works is his 13th novel titled Pnin published in 1957 and built around the life of a Russian professor who moves into the US as a refugee and the challenges that the professor encounters in a new world (Boyd 271-287). Isaac Singer was a Jewish American author born in Poland and was the 1978 Nobel Prize winner in literature. Among his many collections is Gimpel the Fool and other Stories published in 1960. It has twelve short stories with a mix of contemporary and folk legend aspects and heavily based on Jewish life in Poland (Kirkus). Born in 1911 Poland, Czeslaw Milosz became an American citizen in 1970. Milosz is known for his poetry, essays, prose, and translations. He was the Nobel Prize winner in 1980 for his literary works. His A Magic Mountain poem reflects his personal experiences of living in Berkeley, CA (Kirkus). The three writers have received various recognitions for their contribution to the American literature. Each of the writers has written about his life experiences in the US depicting the differences and the challenges of adapting to a new world. References Boyd, Brian. Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 1991. Kirkus Rev. of Bells in Winter by Czeslaw Milosz. New York, NY: Ecco Press (1978). 2010. 5 May 2010. < http://books. google. co. ke/books? id=THVhAAAAMAAJ&source=gbs_book_other_versions> Kirkus Rev. of Gimpel the Fool and other Stories by Isaac Singer. New York, NY: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. (1960). 2010. 5 May 2010. < http://books. google. co. ke/books? id=yZJnPwAACAAJ&dq=isaac+bashevis+singer+gimpel+the+fool&source=gbs_book_other_versions>