A History of South African Literature

by Christopher Heywood

Overview

Christopher Heywood surveys representative South African poems, plays and prose works in five literary traditions: Khoisan, Nguni-Sotho, Afrikaans, English, and Indian. Heywood's selections include over 100 authors and selected works—covering poetry, theater and prose. Explored in the context of crises leading to the formation of modern South Africa, South African literature emerges from this study as one of the great literatures of the modern world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521153782
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/24/2010
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Christopher Heywood is Honorary Research Fellow in English literature at the University of Sheffield.

Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgements; Chronology; List of abbreviations; Literary map of South Africa; 1. Introduction: communities and rites of passage; Part I. Towards Sharpeville: 2. Poetry before Sharpeville: singing, protest, writing; 3. Theatre before Fugard; 4. Prose classics: Schreiner to Mofolo; 5. Fiction of resistance and protest: Bosman to Mphahlele; Part II. Transformation: 6. Poetry after Sharpeville; 7. Theatre: Fugard to Mda; 8. Novels and stories after 1960; Notes; Glossary; Select bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"South Africa's rich and complex history comes to life in this comprehensive account...an impressive authority...the sheer variety of style and form that Heywood encompasses in his criticism is extraordinary." - Times Literary Supplement

From the Publisher