Sunjata
A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples
Djanka Tassey Cond?
Publisher: Hackett Publishing
Imprint: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Published: 09/2004
Pages: 256
Subject: Poetry
Print ISBN: 9781600000000
eBook ISBN: 9781603845816
DESCRIPTION
A pillar of the West African oral tradition for centuries, this epic traces the adventures and achievements of the Mande hero, Sunjata, as he liberates his people from Sumaworo Kante, the sorcerer king of Soso, and establishes the great medieval empire of Mali. David Conrad conveys the strong narrative thrust of the Sunjata epic in his presentation of substantial excerpts from his translation of a performance by Djanka Tassey Conde. Readers approaching the epic for the first time will appreciate the translation's highly readable, poetic English as well as Conrad's informative Introduction and notes. Scholars will find the familiar heroes and heroines taking on new dimensions, secondary characters gaining increased prominence, and previously unknown figures emerging from obscurity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David C. Conrad is Professor of History at the State University of New York, Oswego, and President of the Mande Studies Association.
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