Search Results: African Literature from Christison Rare Books, IOBA SABDA

(Pretoria: Kagiso Tertiary, 1996). 219 x 150 mm; laminated pictorial wrappers; pp. xv + (i) + 273. Near fine condition. "This collection of essays aims at introducing students of African literature to the heritage of the African prose narrative starting from its oral base and covering its linguistic and cultural diversity. An Introduction to the African Prose Narrative brings together essays on both the classics and the relatively new in the African prose narrative, including all its subgenres: the traditional epic, the novel, the short story and the autobiography. The chapters are arranged according to the respective thematic paradigms under which the discussed works fall." .

(London: Heinemann, 1981) 0435918001. 215 x 138 mm; pictorial wrappers; pp. xv + (i) + 176. Wrappers a bit rubbed; occasional fox spot. Good condition. "In this literary study of twelve key novels from Africa Dr Palmer indicates by detailed analysi which novels he regards as preeminent in quality. He examines them in literary terms rather than as sociological or historical works." .

(London: Hamlyn, 1970) 0600001326. 180 x 110 mm; laminated pictorial wrappers; pp. 159 + (i), incl. index; profusely illustrated in full colour. Very good condition. "Throughout Africa a great oral tradition of literature exists in the fascinating folklore of the continent. These myths, often recounted with music and mime, help to put in perspective how the Africans see their own lives and traditions. The collection of stories in this book are grouped according to their provenance, and re-told by the author with remarkable feeling for their original style. As well as artist's impressions of these tales, the book is richly illustrated with examples of African art-whose aesthetic value the West has become increasingly appreciative of in recent years." .

(Woodbridge: James Currey / Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2008) 9781869141561. 233 x 155 mm; laminated pictorial wrappers; pp. x + 182, incl. index. Fine condition. "Migration is a central theme of much African fiction written in English. Brenda Cooper tracks the journeys undertaken by a new generation of African writers, their protagonists and the solid objects that populate their fiction, to depict the material realities of their multiple worlds and languages. Postcolonial migrant writers encounter the globalised landscapes of the streets of Brixton, New York or Central Station Amsterdam, which have themselves been transformed by the colonial encounter. They write these changes back into their fiction, offering new ways of understanding the world. The writers' challenge is to find an English that can effectively express their many lives, languages and identities." .

(Nairobi: Oxford University Press, 1983) 0195724135. 215 x 140 mm; pictorial wrappers; pp. xviii + (ii) + 558; folding map. Very good condition. Following the introduction, this book is divided into the following broad categories: Poetry, Prose, and Some Special Forms. Under 'Poetry' are grouped such subjects as Religious poetry, Lyric, Topical and political songs, and Children's songs and rhymes. Under 'Prose', Narratives, Proverbs, Riddles, and Oratory receive attention. 'Some Special Forms' includes Drum language and literature, and Drama. "Africa possesses both written and unwritten traditions. The former are relatively well known - at any rate the recent writings in European languages (much work remains to be publicized on earlier Arabic and local written literatures in Africa). The unwritten forms, however, are far less widely known and appreciated. Such forms do not fit neatly into the familiar categories of literate cultures, they are harder to record… Read More

(Salisbury: Salisbury Writers' Club, 1976) 079740211X. 212 x 140 mm; pictorial wrappers; pp. 103. Bumped at head of spine. Gift inscription inside upper wrap. Collection of short stories, many with a Rhodesian setting. .

(London: Heinemann, 1974). 215 x 138 mm; pictorial wrappers; pp. xii + 127; plates. Wrappers slightly rubbed, and sunned on spine; thermoplastic binding parting from cover. Good. "Informative and provocative, the essays range widely from the politics of negritude to protest against apartheid, and from cultural conflict to satire against the elites. Through the works of such leading African writers as Achebe and Soyinka, Senghor and Fanon, Mphahlele and Ngugi, the contributors offer new and stimulating insights into the dynamics of African societies of yesterday and today." .

(Cape Town: David Philip, 1992). 211 x 136 mm; pictorial wrappers; pp. (viii) + 197, incl. index. Wraps a little rubbed and very slightly curled; earlier owner's name penned inside upper wrap; regular, light browning. Good. "This study establishes criteria for the evaluation of African literature and then applies them to a wide and exciting range of modern African novels, many of which are prescribed or recommended reading for university and college courses. The focus is on themes and issues such as black nationalism, gender, popular culture and the human condition, within the wider context of contemporary Marxist and feminist literary theories. In establishing Marxist and feminist criteria for evaluating African literature, the book is iconoclastic and bound to raise debate. Post-modernists will be challenged by its exploration of the universal, but no student or teacher of African literature can afford to ignore this challenging study." .

(Lovedale: Lovedale Press, 1971). 183 x 123 mm; saddle-stitched printed wrappers; pp. (ii) + 26. Trace of spotting. Very good condition. Uncommon. Addresses by three experts on isiXhosa literature on the occasion of an exhibition on the subject at Lovedale. .