Rompkey claims that the uniqueness of Newfoundland and Labrador as a place has become more evident in the struggles of the last two generations of writers to find a voice that will reveal it as an "imagined community" breaking free from its colonial roots. In the process, his own distinctive voice rings clear and compelling throughout his commentaries on a whole range of disparate writings that attract his attention. Starting with the engrossing evaluation Erie Spencer's life and work, the reader will quickly find his judgement to be so sound that he can expect to be splendidly entertained and enlightened throughout the rest of the book. As a consequence, Literature and Identity is an important collection for all those readers who wish to understand themselves and their place in the developing ethos of this province. From the Introduction, by Everard King