Historical Dictionary of Asian American Literature and Theater

Building upon the first edition of this work, published in 2012, Xu (English, Jacksonville Univ.; Eating Identities) provides an updated chronicle of the literary achievements of Asian American writers, poets, memoirists, screenwriters, and playwrights from 1887 to 2021. In the introduction, Xu notes that the term Asian Americans refers to people of East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Western Asian, or Middle Eastern descent. With the exception of Middle Eastern Americans, who are not covered here, Xu provides over 700 entries on genres, terms, authors, theater groups, and historical events, demonstrating the wide-ranging accomplishments of this prominent group of creators. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order, with cross-references listed in bold. A nearly 120-page bibliography at the end of the dictionary provides an extensive listing of anthologies, sourcebooks, websites, criticism, and selected bibliographies. This work is notable for its thorough coverage of Asian American theater, from the Chinese Tung Hook Tong Dramatic Company established in 1852, through the Japanese American theater group Grateful Crane Ensemble founded in the 2000s.