In what he terms an "off-center" reading of the complex Oriental constructions of four modern French authors, Ha (comparative literature, U. of Hong Kong) challenges the facile dichotomy that
critics in postcolonial studies a field inaugurated by Segalen typically draw between the Western colonial Self and the Eastern exotic Other. The author concludes that cultural hybridizing is a
two- way street, as reflected in such writings as Segalen's RenT Leys, Malraux's La Condition Humaine , Duras' L'Empire Francais , and Barthes' L'Empire des Signes . Annotation c. Book News,
Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
