Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples

by David Conrad

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780872206977
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2004
Series:	Hackett Classics
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.56(d)

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.

What People are Saying About This

Konrad Tuchscherer

"This is truly one-stop shopping for the Sunjata epic. I think Conrad's book will be a classic."
—St. John's University

Paula Berggren

"The most easily teachable of the versions I have read . . . [an] important new version of a major literary achievement."
—Baruch College, CUNY

Editorial Reviews

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

This is an important resource for college teachers who would like their students to read a text which more fully resembles an oral poem and which communicates a richer, more complex, and more compelling version of the Sunjata story. . . . [This] version . . . is much more worthy to be placed among the great epics of world literature. It is eminently readable for students and instructors who are willing to give it the same kind of attention they give to Homer translations. —Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Temple University

Conrad offers a great deal for students and instructors, with a solid Introduction which provides the context and history of the epic, a note on Mande nomenclature, maps, an epilogue, and a glossary of important names and terms. This is truly one-stop shopping for the Sunjata epic. I think Conrad's book will be a classic. —Konrad Tuchscherer, St. John's University

From the Publisher