| Oral Epics from Africa Contributor(s): Johnson, John William (Editor), Hale, Thomas A. (Editor), Belcher, Stephen (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0253211107 ISBN-13: 9780253211101 Publisher: Indiana University Press OUR PRICE: $24.70 Product Type: Paperback Published: April 1997 Annotation: "The editors... must be congratulated... Long live the African storytellers!" -- Africa Today "It is difficult to imagine a more practical introduction to contemporary African epic than this anthology... no other single volume comprehends the full scope of African epic (as opposed to praise poetry) the way this one does.... The stories are engaging, and the free-verse translations are surprisingly readable.... Recommended for all academic collections." -- Choice Western culture traces its literary heritage to such well-known epics as the Iliad and the Odyssey and Gilgamesh. But it is only recently that scholars have turned their attention toward capturing the rich oral tradition that is still alive in Africa today. These 25 selections introduce English-speaking readers to the extensive epic traditions in Africa. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Africa - General - Social Science | Customs & Traditions |
| Dewey: 896 |
| LCCN: 96047367 |
| Series: African Epic |
| Physical Information: 0.8" H x 6.1" W x 9.1" (1.15 lbs) 332 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The editors . . . must be congratulated . . . Long live the African storytellers! --Africa Today It is difficult to imagine a more practical introduction to contemporary African epic than this anthology . . . no other single volume comprehends the full scope of African epic (as opposed to praise poetry) the way this one does. . . . The stories are engaging, and the free-verse translations are surprisingly readable. . . . Recommended for all academic collections. --Choice Western culture traces its literary heritage to such well-known epics as the Iliad and the Odyssey and Gilgamesh. But it is only recently that scholars have turned their attention toward capturing the rich oral tradition that is still alive in Africa today. These 25 selections introduce English-speaking readers to the extensive epic traditions in Africa. |