Edited by Ishmael Mzwandile Soqaga
New
essays on Omoseye Bolaji, Flaxman Qoopane, NMM Duman, Charmaine Kolwane,
Tiisetso Thiba, Matshidiso Taleng, George Rampai et al
And the Blurb:
ISBN 978 – 0 – 620 – 81626 - 7
The way Free State Black Writing has grown by leaps and bounds in recent times encapsulates the general picture in Africa itself, over the decades.
It is no surprise that phalanx of literary aficionados have found the Free State literary scene illuminating, and have written extensively about it. Such observers include respected critics and authors like Aryan Kaganof, Achal Prabhala, Petro Schonfeld, Raphael Mokoena, Tiisetso Thiba, Leke Giwa, among many others.
Indeed, Free State Black Writing is a microcosm of literary trends in the African continent as a whole. The Free State has now produced impressive wordsmiths, some of whom are recognised worldwide in literary circles/studies: writers of fiction, poets, dramatists, biographers, and literary commentators/critics. Talented (new) writers continue to emerge, and the evaluation of requisite works keeps on ever-throbbing.
Quite a number of disparate works have already been published on Free State Black Writing (including riveting parallels with the outstanding 'Onitsha Market Literature' of yore, by some scholars.) Yet the dynamism of the pertinent literature remains an intriguing, integral process.
The way Free State Black Writing has grown by leaps and bounds in recent times encapsulates the general picture in Africa itself, over the decades.
It is no surprise that phalanx of literary aficionados have found the Free State literary scene illuminating, and have written extensively about it. Such observers include respected critics and authors like Aryan Kaganof, Achal Prabhala, Petro Schonfeld, Raphael Mokoena, Tiisetso Thiba, Leke Giwa, among many others.
Indeed, Free State Black Writing is a microcosm of literary trends in the African continent as a whole. The Free State has now produced impressive wordsmiths, some of whom are recognised worldwide in literary circles/studies: writers of fiction, poets, dramatists, biographers, and literary commentators/critics. Talented (new) writers continue to emerge, and the evaluation of requisite works keeps on ever-throbbing.
Quite a number of disparate works have already been published on Free State Black Writing (including riveting parallels with the outstanding 'Onitsha Market Literature' of yore, by some scholars.) Yet the dynamism of the pertinent literature remains an intriguing, integral process.
This new work has been put together by one of the most successful of the new-wave Free State Writers, Ishmael Mzwandile Soqaga, who, happily enough constitutes a bridge between the recent past (the genesis) and the present. A formidable researcher and award winning essayist, Mr Soqaga has already published a number of significant books in his own right.
The Growth of Free State Black Literature - this new work- is invaluable, as it straddles the past and the present, with echoes of the internationalism of literature itself, with striking emphasis on African writing. It is a book which scholars, researchers, and the general reader will find fascinating.
For enquiries about this new work, published by Eselby Jnr Publications, please contact soqaga.ishmael@gmail.com
