For students, general readers, teachers, and researchers, Serafin (Hunter College of the City U. of New York) and Mihailovich (U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) present profiles of 60 of the most prominent literary figures of Central and Eastern Europe, specifically from Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Ranging from the generation of writers emerging in the decade after World War II to those of today, the profiles trace each author's career, the development of his or her canon, and the evolution of his or her reputation, within the context of literary history. They include Ryszard Kapuscinnski, Imre Kertesz, Ismail Kadare, Emiliya Dvoryanova, Ivan Teofilov, Lulijeta Lleshanaku, Maris Caklais, and Stefan Chwin. Work lists, photos, and illustrations are included. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)