The Artistic Features Of Nuruddin Farah’s Trilogy "Past Imperfect"

Nuruddin Farah is a world-known Somali writer.Since he won Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1998,his works have attracted many readers and scholars.He has been nominated for Noble Prize in literature many times.Trilogy “Past Imperfect” is the latest trilogy written by Nuruddin Farah.The three novels,Links,Knots and Crossbones reveal the changes and events in Somalia from 1996 to 2006.Based on close reading and related theories,the paper discusses three artistic features of trilogy “Past Imperfect”,the limited point of view,intertextuality and collage.The most obvious artistic feature of this trilogy is the different points of view of returnees,residents and foreigners.Although they have limited points of view on one thing,their different views form a complementary connection which offers readers an overall view to learn about Somalia.Intertextuality is the other artistic feature of trilogy “Past Imperfect”.The direct quotations from Dante’s Inferno in Links,the content intertextuality between Knots and The Adventures of Pinocchio and the inner intertextuality among Links,Knots and Crossbones greatly expand the scope of the trilogy and deepen the meaning of the three novels.The usage of collage shows Farah’s superb writing technique.Dreams,Somali folktales and news reports are collaged in the trilogy.The usage of collage adds multi-dimensions to this trilogy,enriches the contents and reflects Somali people’s inner world and the complicated situation of Somalia in the international world.These artistic features not only arouse readers’ interests in the novels,but also show Nuruddin Farah’s excellent writing skills.