Research Catalog

African oral epic poetry : praising the deeds of a mythic hero /

Title
African oral epic poetry : praising the deeds of a mythic hero / by Fritz H. Pointer ; with a translation of The epic of Kambili (as recited by Seydou Camara) ; translated from Mande into English by Charles S. Bird, with Mamadou Koita and Bourama Soumaoro ; with a foreword by Daniel Kunene.
Author
Pointer, Fritz H.,
Publication
Lewiston : Edwin Mellen Press, ©2012.

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Details

Additional Authors
  • Bird, Charles S. (Charles Stephen), 1935-
  • Kamara, Seyidu.
  • Koita, Mamadou,
  • Pointer, Fritz H.
  • Soumaoro, Bourama,
Description
xiv, 301 pages; 24 cm
Summary
Professor Pointer is the first person to offer an English translation of the Epic of Kambili, an African heroic myth. The book is careful to point out that this text deserves to be read by myth scholars and shows that the literary tradition of epic myth-telling extends to Africa through its oral folklore. The author argues that the story should be treated as an epic myth that was pieced together by different authors over several centuries, which may or may not have been the result of observing real events.
Subjects
Genre/Form
Translations.
Note
  • Published in 2012, with Pointer rather than Byrd credited as translator, under the title: A translation into English of the epic of Kambili (an African mythic hero).
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-294) and index.
Language (note)
  • English, with English translation from Mandingo.
Contents
Some background on the epic -- Griots and griottes : composers and performers -- Kambili and history -- The hero of the epic -- Poet and accompanists -- Modes and methods of composition in Kambili -- Praise songs, traditional religion and Islam -- Birth, tasks and triumph of Kambili -- In praise of Kambili Sananfila -- The story : a synopsis -- The epic of Kambili.
ISBN
  • 9780773440876
  • 0773440879
LCCN
2012038968
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library