This collection of essays by one of Africa's leading scholars examines African literary traditions in the broad sense, and places the work of individual authors in context. Here F. Abiola Irele presents probing critical readings of the works of Chinua Achebe, Kamau Brathwaite, Amadou Hapae Ba, and Amadou Kourouma, among others. In addition to discussing texts central to the evolving canon of African literature, The African Imagination addresses both the growing presence of African writing in the global literary marketplace and the relationship between African intellectuals and the West.

The African Imagination: Literature in Africa and the Black Diaspora

Literature & Fiction

Irele, F. Abiola

History & Criticism

Oxford University Press

This collection of essays from eminent scholar F. Abiola Irele provides a comprehensive formulation of what he calls an "African imagination" manifested in the oral traditions and modern literature of Africa and the Black Diaspora. The African Imagination includes Irele's probing critical readings of the works of Chinua Achebe, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Amadou Hampaté Bâ, and Ahmadou Kourouma, among others, as well as examinations of the growing presence of African writing in the global literary marketplace and the relationship between African intellectuals and the West. Taken as a whole, this volume makes a superb introduction to African literature and to the work of one of its leading interpreters.

Featuring new perspectives on African and Caribbean literature, this History explores the scope of the literature (variety of languages, regions and genres); nature of composition; and complex relationship with African social and geo-political history. It comprehensively covers the field of African literature, defined by creative expression in Africa as well as the black diaspora. This major history of African literature will be an essential resource for specialists and students.

The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature 2 Volume Hardback Set

Gikandi, Simon

Cambridge University Press

The Cambridge Companion to the African Novel (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

Africa's strong tradition of storytelling has long been an expression of an oral narrative culture. African writers such as Amos Tutuola, Naguib Mahfouz, Wole Soyinka and J. M. Coetzee have adapted these older forms to develop and enhance the genre of the novel, in a shift from the oral mode to print. Comprehensive in scope, these new essays cover the fiction in the European languages from North Africa and Africa south of the Sahara, as well as in Arabic. They highlight the themes and styles of the African novel through an examination of the works that have either attained canonical status - an entire chapter is devoted to the work of Chinua Achebe - or can be expected to do so. Including a guide to further reading and a chronology, this is the ideal starting-point for students of African and world literatures.

The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature Volume 1: Volume 1

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Irele, F. Abiola. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Irele, F. Abiola

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Irele, F. Abiola. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The African Imagination: Literature in Africa and the Black Diaspora

The African Imagination: Literature in Africa and the Black Diaspora

The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature 2 Volume Hardback Set

The Cambridge Companion to the African Novel (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature Volume 1: Volume 1

The Cambridge Companion to the African Novel (Cambridge Companions to Literature)