Authors, Foreign Passports, Fiction and Freedom

Amina Elmi's Barbar [Tavshedens objekt]

Abstract

Starting from Amina Elmi’s poetry collection Barbar [Tavshedens objekt] (Barbar [The object of silence]), this article discusses the role of the author today in relation to experience-based literature. Do we even expect minority authors to write autobiographically and based on personal experiences? Does this expectation limit their ability to explore other literary forms and, consequently, other authorial roles? In addition to Elmi, my examples include works by Lone Aburas and the American author Rebecca Kuang. I will also incorporate Zadie Smith’s reflections on the topic through her essay “Fascinated to Presume: In Defense of Fiction”, as well as touch upon the discussion of the term ’immigrant literature’ in Sweden.