Encyclopedia of African Literature

The most comprehensive reference work on African literature to date, this book covers all the key historical and cultural issues in the field. The <em>Encyclopedia</em> contains over 600 entries covering criticism and theory, African literatures development as a field of scholarship, and studies of established and lesser-known writers and their texts. While the greatest proportion of literary work in Africa has been a product of the twentieth century, the <em>Encyclopedia</em> also covers the literature back to the earliest eras of story-telling and oral transmission, making this a unique and valuable resource for those studying social sciences as well as humanities. This work includes cross-references, suggestions for further reading, and a comprehensive index.