| By Gale Staff |
The Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) series has been a cornerstone of literary research for over four decades, providing scholars, students, and literary enthusiasts with highly readable, in-depth biographical and critical information on authors and their works. As the DLB continues to evolve, we are pleased to announce the first digital-native volume, Twenty-First Century African Poets, available exclusively in Gale Literature Resource Center. While the series continues to be produced by Bruccoli Clark Layman, its president, Richard Layman, noted that the landmark volume makes “the transition from print to exclusively online publication to take full advantage of the rich research possibilities offered by Gale.”
About the volume
Edited by Kwame Dawes, George Holmes Distinguished Professor of English, and Glenna Luschei, editor of Prairie Schooner, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the collection presents 44 biographies of twenty-first century African poets.
Richard Layman described the volume as covering:
“Writers from the African continent whose work reflects the varied and often tumultuous culture of the twelve countries they represent and the diaspora that introduced their work throughout the world. Their poetry reflects their response to the anti-colonialist movement that brought newfound freedom born of rebellion and fostered a vibrant spirit of internationalism grounded in strong traditional values. Through poetry, a most personal genre, one can come to know a people, not just know about them: That is the value of this collection.”
New document navigation features include:
- A multilevel table of contents, allowing researchers to navigate within the biographical portion of each entry
- A “More in the Collection” section, which allows researchers to seamlessly navigate within biographies in the volume
Also notable are new sections at the end of each biography: About the Contributor and About the Editor, providing essential context for greater information literacy.
Why move to a new format?
Dictionary of Literary Biography, which was first published in 1978, has long been recognized as an essential literary resource with a consistent reputation for quality. Choice has named it an Outstanding Academic Book four times, and the American Library Association’s Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has named it an Outstanding Reference Source twice. Library Journal has called it “hands-down the best overall literary reference work ever published, a proverbial diamond as big as the Ritz …” (June 2006).
The move to a fully digital format stems from a desire to maintain this high-quality content, while increasing accessibility and user experience:
- Accessibility tools: Document-level accessibility tools in Gale Literature Resource Center allow researchers to fully customize their document-viewing experience, with the ability to adjust line and letter spacing, among other customizations.
- Regular updates and expansion: By moving to a digital format, volumes can be updated and expanded, ensuring currency and comprehensiveness.
- Adaptability: Embracing the digital format allows the DLB to adapt to the changing landscape of research and education, meeting the needs and expectations of researchers.
A place for unified access The Gale Literature cross search provides access to both Gale Literature: Dictionary of Literary Biography and Gale Literature Resource Center, among other sources. Researchers who want to search all DLB content in one place can use Advanced Search to limit to the relevant Publication titles or simply select Dictionary of Literary Biography from the dropdown for a seamless search across this content.
Embracing the future
With this inaugural publication of digital content, we remain committed to the tenets of quality and rigor that the Dictionary of Literary Biography is known for; while the format has changed, researchers will find the same trusted and authoritative literary information.
A second digital volume is scheduled for August 2025, Chinese Poets Since 1949, Second Series, and our aim is to produce additional volumes annually, with updates to volumes as needed. As we look to the future, the integration of the DLB into Gale Literature Resource Center promises to make this wealth of knowledge more accessible and relevant than ever before, ensuring that the DLB continues to be an essential tool for literary research.
