African Lives: An Anthology of Memoirs and Autobiographies

by Geoff Wisner

Overview

African Lives, a pioneering anthology of memoirs and autobiographical writings, lets the people of Africa speak for themselves—telling stories of struggle and achievement that have the authenticity of lived experience.The anthology presents selections from the work of many of Africa's finest writers and most significant personalities from across the continent and spanning several centuries. Enhancing the material, Geoff Wisner's introduction and biographical notes provide important context for the selections and also highlight the challenges that African memoirs pose to the preconceptions of Western readers. The result is a book that is both an absorbing read and a valuable resource for courses on Africa.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781588268877
Publisher:	Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/27/2013
Pages:	401
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Geoff Wisner is author of A Basket of Leaves: 99 Books That Capture the Spirit of Africa.

Editorial Reviews

African Lives thoughtfully identifies the voices and visions that have shaped a continent. By skillfully weaving these personal narratives into a coherent collection, Wisner has provided a compelling and accessible resource for understanding Africa's history makers.

Carl LeVan

This anthology will appeal to anyone who has an interest in African literature and history.... All academic audiences and general readers.

Choice

Though difficult to believe, until now there has never been a single-volume collection of true-life narratives from Africa's great, historical figures. This fact could explain Wisner's apparent exuberance in trying to cram as many entries as possible into this remarkable book. Organized by geography, the wide variety of selections includes the world travels of 14th-century Moroccan Ibn Battuta, the court testimony of anti-Apartheid activist Steven Biko, the distant memories of a young Algerian boy's first encounter with a foreigner, and a Maasai warrior's initiation into manhood. The stories range from bit-tersweet to violent, wistful to seductive, leaving a deep emotional impression. Wisner (A Basket of Leaves) does not create any artificial hierarchies of relative importance between his entries, whether the "first biography of an Arab woman ever written" or the memoir of a South African Nobel Peace Prize winner. If there's a criticism to be leveled here, it is with the brevity of each selection due the wide net Wisner chose to cast. Nevertheless, this volume is full of memorable anecdotes and images right through the final entry. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

An amazing anthology—a cacophony of African voices in splendid diversity as vast as the continent itself.

Adele Newson-Horst

Wisner has collected an impressive range of life writing from across Africa, the first anthology of its kind.

Wasafiri - Jennifer Upton

Wisner ensures that the continent's multi-hyphenated rainbow of nonfiction writing, old and new, at all edges of the continental compass gets [the] chance [to be heard].

Todd Steven Burroughs