A volume of poetry written by a Malawi prisoner of conscience during his ten-year imprisonment.

Of Chameleons and Gods (African Writers Series)

Literature & Fiction

Mapanje, Jack

History & Criticism

Heinemann

A volume of poetry written by a Malawi prisoner of conscience during his ten-year imprisonment.

Poetry

Heinemann Educational Books

Formerly Head of the English Department, University of Malawi, Jack Mapanje was brutally arrested and imprisoned without trial for four years. Following his release in 1991, he moved to Britain with his wife and family. He has recently been appointed Northern Arts Writer-in Residence and now spends much of his time visiting prisons and lecturing on his experiences in Malawi. Dedicated to "the black and white writers and human rights sages throughout the world who prayed and fought for my freedom," this new volume of poetry damns the Malawian regime that incarcerated Mapanje. The collection reveals Mapanje's initial reaction to the banning of his last volume in Malawi and his subsequent imprisonment in Mikuyu Prison, and includes poems written since his release and exile from his native land.

The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison (African Writers Series)

Contemporary

African Books Collective and the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation organised the African-Writers Publishers Seminar in Tanzania in 1998. Major African writers and publishers hammered out a 'New Deal' for relations between the two. This practical manual includes the 'New Deal' statement, and carries forward the work of the seminar. Intended for the aspiring or not yet established creative writer, the answers are given on how to get published, how publishing works, relations with publishers, and how to find resources. With an introduction by Niyi Osundare, the book is in two parts. First, respected African writers and publishers contribute their experiences and perspectives on writing and publishing in Africa - Dapo Adeniyi, Walter Bgoya, Henry Chakava, Cyprian Ekwensi, Taban lo Liyong, Kole Omotoso, Onsonye Tess Onwueme, Femi Osofisan, Niyi Osundare and the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, Yvonne Vera and Paul Tiyambe Zeleza. A massive amount of practical information and resource materials is given on prizes, writers' organisations, magazines, vanity and self-publishing, literary agents, censorship, book fairs, resources for writers on the Internet and more. James Currey, Mary Jay, Michael Norton and Hans Zell also contribute.

The African Writers' Handbook

Reference

Gibbs, James

Foreign Language Study & Reference

African Books Collective

This book is a powerful contribution to the genre of the prison memoir in Africa. Jack Mapanje represents the moving account of a poet’s imprisonment by the state, the struggle to probe the hidden motives behind his arrest and his attempt to provide an unforgettable record of the architecture of imprisonment, the archeology of oppression and the perpetual struggle between the forces of trust and those of naked power. Mapanje’s release after three years, seven months and sixteen days was largely due to British and international protest campaigns by human rights organizations and ordinary citizens. This book is a must read for anyone who believes in international justice and freedom of expression. A moving contribution to the growing world literature of incarceration. As such, it has universal appeal.

And Crocodiles are Hungry at Night

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Ayebia Clarke Publishing

Jack Mapanje was imprisoned without trial or charge by Malawi's dictator Hastings Banda for nearly four years, chronicling his prison experiences with boundless wit in his previous books. In Greetings from Grandpa - his sixth collection - Mapanje is still effervescent, with his wry humor defiantly intact. The narratives in Greetings from Grandpa are mellow and cheerful testimonies of the sojourn of the human spirit as it survives freedom under implausible circumstances, whether at home or in exile.

Greetings from Grandpa

Bloodaxe Books

Jack Mapanje was head of the Department of English at the University of Malawi in Malawi, Africa, when arrested in 1987 after his first book of poems, Chameleons and Gods, was banned in Malawi. Imprisoned without trial or charge he was released in 1991 following an international public outcry against his treatment.In Skipping the Ropes, his third collection, Mapanje writes about his incarceration and release from prison, his exile to England and his return to Africa, reconciliation with his torturers, the role of the African writer, and the continuing liberation struggle in other countries. While often deadly serious, Mapanje's poems are given a skip and a lift by the generosity of spirit and irrepressible humor which helped sustain him through his prison ordeal.

Skipping Without Ropes

Jack Mapanje

Self-Help

Bloodaxe Books Ltd.

Because he was a radical poet-his first book of poems was banned-Jack Mapanje was imprisoned without trial or charge by the dictator Hastings Banda of Malawi for nearly four years. The themes of his poetry range from the search for a sense of dignity and integrity under a repressive regime, incarceration, release from prison, exile and return to Africa, and reconciliation with torturers, to the writer in Africa and the continuing African liberation struggle in a hostile world. His poems are lifted up by a generosity of spirit and irrepressible humor that helped sustain him through his prison ordeal.

The Last of the Sweet Bananas: New & Selected Poems

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Books by Mapanje, Jack

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

Of Chameleons and Gods (African Writers Series)

Of Chameleons and Gods (African Writers Series)

The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison (African Writers Series)

The African Writers' Handbook

And Crocodiles are Hungry at Night

Greetings from Grandpa

Skipping Without Ropes

The Last of the Sweet Bananas: New & Selected Poems