In Search of Sunjata

In Search of Sunjata

Author: Ralph A. Austen

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 9780253334527

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These essays examine Sunjata from a variety of perspectives.


Sunjata

Sunjata

Author: David C. Conrad

Publisher: Hackett Publishing

Published: 2004-01-01

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 9780872206977

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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 Kanté, 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 Condé. 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. "Thanks to his careful editing and translating of Condé's narrative, Conrad offers a highly readable version of the epic that is about a third of its original length. The translation communicates not only the poetic qualities and the essential events of the Sunjata legend but also the master bard's performance values. Thus, this rendering will fascinate those who already know the story and culture and those coming to the epic for the first time. Conrad provides an excellent introduction to Mande oral tradition, the role of the griot, and the Manding belief system. Though he makes no claim for this as the complete scholarly edition, he does provide helpful scholarly notes, a glossary, and a good bibliography. . . . Summing up: Highly recommended." --L. W. Yoder, CHOICE


Sundiata

Sundiata

Author: Djibril Tamsir Niane

Publisher:

Published: 1965

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13:

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The son of Sogolon, the hunchback princess, and Maghan, known as "the handsome", Sundiata grew up to fulfill the prophesies of the soothsayers that he would unite the twelve kingdoms of Mali into one of the most powerful empires ever known in Africa, which at its peak stretched right across the savanna belt from the shores of the Atlantic to the dusty walls of Timbuktu. Retold by generations of griots, the guardians of African culture, this oral tradition has been handed down from the thirteenth century and captures all the mystery and majesty of medieval African kingship. It is an epic tale, part history and part legend.


Sunjata

Sunjata

Author: Bamba Suso

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 1999-10-07

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 0141906340

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Sunjata Keita was the founder of one of the greatest empires of Western Africa. These two epic accounts of his life portray a greedy, slow-witted child - said to have crawled until the age of seven - who grew up as prophecy foretold to become a mighty warrior, renowned for his bravery and superhuman strength. They describe how, with the help of his sister, who seduced their arch-enemy Sumanguru into revealing his secret powers, Sunjata defeated the Susu overlords and created the Mali Empire which would last for two centuries. Based on events from the early thirteenth century, these tales of heroism and magic are still celebrated across West Africa as part of a living epic oral tradition.


Sunjata

Sunjata

Author: Justine Fontes

Publisher: Graphic Universe

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 1580138918

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A young boy fulfills the prophecy that he will be a great leader.


Sunjata: A New Prose Version

Sunjata: A New Prose Version

Author:

Publisher: Hackett Publishing

Published: 2016-06-01

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1624664962

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"After existing orally for hundreds of years, Sunjata was written down in the 20th century. David Conrad, who recorded a new version of the epic, has now crafted a prose translation that preserves the oral flavor of live performance. The result is a captivating work of literature that will finally give the story of Sunjata its well-deserved place among the great epics of world literature." —Martin Puchner, Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature, Harvard University


Sunjata

Sunjata

Author: Gordon Innes

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2005-08-09

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 1135753016

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First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.


The Sunjata Story

The Sunjata Story

Author: Bamba Suso

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2006-05-04

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 0141967196

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A child is born who will overthrow a king... After the leader of a great African kingdom hears that a baby has been born who will destroy him, he hides behind a mighty army and surrounds himself with magical charms. There remains only one way to kill him. Concealing this secret weakness from the world, the ruler clings to power. But when the sister of his enemy seduces him, lust overwhelms the king. And as he lies beside her in the night, desperate to know her body, he foolishly begins to share his secret...


Son-Jara

Son-Jara

Author: Fa-Digi Sisòkò

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2003-10-30

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 9780253343376

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The epic of Son-Jara (also known as Sunjata or Sundiata) celebrates the exploits of the legendary founder of the Empire of Old Mali and is still widely recited among Mandekan-speaking peoples of West Africa today. As performed by griots, or professional bards, it embodies deeply rooted aspects of Mande cosmology and worldview. This edition of the epic presents the full, linear Mandekan text side by side with John William Johnson's important English translation. Fully annotated and explained, the text provides historical and contextual frameworks for understanding this African epic. A complete recitation of the epic by Jeli fa-Digi Sisòkò recorded in the town of Kita, Mali, is sold separately. This powerful text and inspiring performance show why the epic of Son-Jara has taken its place among the world's greatest epics.


The Epic of Sumanguru Kante

The Epic of Sumanguru Kante

Author: Stephen Bulman

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2017-08-28

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 9004349332

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The Epic of Sumanguru Kante contains the Bamana text and English translation of griot Abdoulaye Sako’s oral narrative of the life of Sumanguru, recorded in 1997 in Koulikoro (Mali), together with explanatory notes, a scholarly introduction, and sections on the Bamana language and musical accompaniment. Sumanguru is a familiar figure within Manding epic oral traditions about ancient Mali. But while these narratives generally focus on Sunjata Keita, Sako’s oral poem is rare in according Sumanguru the central role. In so doing he includes hitherto undocumented episodes relating to Sumanguru’s life and role as the ruler of Soso, the little known state said to have flourished in the western Sudan between the fall of ancient Ghana and rise of ancient Mali.