World Literature and World History of Literature in Transnational Context: An Interview with Theodoor L. D'haen

Theodoor Louis D'haen is Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at Leuven University, Belgium. An elected member of Academia Europaea and editor-in-chief of the journal European Review, D'haen has authored, co-authored and edited over fifty books on postcolonialism, American literature and world literature, including The Routledge Concise History of World Literature (2012), American Literature: A History (2014), and the latest Literary Transnationalism (2018). In May 2019, Dr. Wan Xiaomeng interviewed D'haen during his academic visit to Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In this interview, D'haen illuminates such issues in world literature as transnationalism, nationalism, and translation. In addition, D'haen also shares his experiences in compiling a world history of literature, in which he and his colleagues put transnationalism into practice. D'haen claims that world literature studies depend much on American academe, while new academic trends and forerunners should be welcome in the future.