|
Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Poetry & poets
|
Buy Now
Xhosa poets and poetry - Publications of the Opland Collection of Xhosa literature, volume 4 (Paperback, 2nd ed, updated and revised)
Loot Price: R323
Discovery Miles 3 230
You Save: R27
(8%)
|
|
|
Xhosa poets and poetry - Publications of the Opland Collection of Xhosa literature, volume 4 (Paperback, 2nd ed, updated and revised)
 (sign in to rate)
List price R350
Loot Price R323
Discovery Miles 3 230
You Save R27 (8%)
Expected to ship within 5 - 10 working days
|
The Xhosa-speaking peoples who settled along the south-eastern
seaboard of South Africa promoted traditions of praise poetry
(izibongo), poetry produced orally by men and women, adults and
children, about people, clans, ancestors and animals. Throughout
the nineteenth century, authors who used the Xhosa language
gradually developed the craft of composing poetry for publication
in newspapers, and expanded this process in the twentieth century,
when books containing secular literature appeared, but the practice
of oral poetry persists, flourishing now as it did before the
incursion of colonial settlers. The dominant poet in the community
is the imbongi, who continues to produce poetry praising or
criticising figures of authority on occasions of local and national
significance. Xhosa Poets and Poetry (Iimbongi nezibongo) contains
fourteen essays originally published between 1974 and 1996. Based
on fieldwork conducted between 1969 and 1985, and on extensive
archival research, the first six essays examine the social function
of poetry in the community, the element of improvisation in the
production of poetry, especially in the poetry of the imbongi, and
the structural principles of his poetry. Individual poets are then
presented, among them D.L.P. Yali-Manisi, Melikaya Mbutuma, Peter
Mtuze and Nontsizi Mgqwetho, the first woman to produce a
substantial body of poetry. The concluding four essays are
thematic, treating issues introduced by the medium of print: the
role of newspapers in fostering literature; censorship and control
of the press; the damaging effects of changes in Xhosa spelling and
the demand for books for school prescription; and, finally, the
suspicion in which Xhosa poets held books and writing. This second
edition updates the bibliographical references and amplifies some
of the arguments. Xhosa Poets and Poetry offers a keen engagement
with its subject, enlivened by extracts from conversations with
poets and copious examples of their poetry in Xhosa and in English
translation. It offers a cultural context for the volumes in this
series.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
You might also like..
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
