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“Thomas Pringle has been a long-time icon of South African liberalism. Matthew Shum’s new study presents a more complex figure caught up in the contradictions of empire by a career that comprised poetry, settler propaganda and abolitionism. Equally in command of close reading and relocations that include Scotland, Cape Colony and mid-nineteenth-century London, Improvisations of Empire is a truly eye-opening study.” —Jon Mee, Professor of Eighteenth Century Studies, University of York and British Academy/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellow

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“Improvisations of Empire shows how a careful reading of a literary oeuvre can transform how we think about the legacies of the colonial era. It rescues Pringle from the realms of liberal mythmaking, casting new light on a historical period in which nation-building, class-consciousness, abolition, Christian evangelism and colonialism were deeply entangled.” —Peter D. McDonald, Professor of English and Related Literature, University of Oxford, UK

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“Shum has brought to life Thomas Pringle in all his capacities: Scottish Romantic poet, South African settler and London-based advocate for abolition. A rich and important study of a complex man.” —Jason Rudy, Professor of English, University of Maryland, College Park, USA

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In his book Improvisations of Empire, Matthew Shum critically analyses the life and works of Thomas Pringle. Is the space that Pringle occupies in the history of South African Writing, one that he is justified in holding? Is there a need for re-assessment of his position? These are some of the questions that this book will lead the readers to ask. — Dhrubajyoti Banerjee, https://postcolonialinterventions.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/pi-5.2-dhruba-review.pdf, published June 30, 2020

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“Improvisations of Empire is a remarkable achievement, which is likely to remain the definitive reading of Thomas Pringle for many years to come.” —David Attwell, Professor of Modern Literature, University of York, UK

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