The enormous success of writers such as Teju Cole and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie demonstrates that African literatures are now an international phenomenon. But the apparent global legibility of a small number of (mostly Anglophone) writers in the diaspora raises the question of how literary producers from the continent, both past and present, have situated their work in relation to the world and the kinds of material networks to which this corresponds. This collection shows how literatures from across the African continent engage with conceptualizations of 'the world' in relation to local social and political issues. Focusing on a wide variety of geographic, historical and linguistic contexts, the essays in this volume seek answers to the following questions: What are the topographies of 'the world' in different literary texts and traditions? What are that world's limits, boundaries and possibilities? How do literary modes and forms such as realism, narrative poetry or the political essay affect the presentation of worldliness? What are the material networks of circulation that allow African literatures to become world literature? African literatures, it emerges, do important theoretical work that speaks to the very core of world literary studies today.

Insila, the Eyes and Ears of the King is a fresh, modern translation of the Zulu novel, "Insila kaShaka," which was first published in 1931, the first novel by a Zulu writer. Dube's narrative is an extraordinary, gripping and haunting window into Zulu life as it was lived before the land was lost to the Europeans. It tells of a young man, Jeqe, who is summoned by Emperor Shaka to his Royal Residence at Dukuza to be his Insila. There is no accurate translation of the word, insila. The only way to find out what it entails is to read Dube's book. An earlier translator, J. Boxwell, translated it as 'bodyservant'. This captures only one aspect of the Insila's role. The word insila means body dirt and conveys the fact that the Insila becomes very close to and inseparable from the king. When Shaka is murdered by his half-brothers, Jeqe must be buried along with Shaka's wives and his earthly possessions. Jeqe's Buthelezi ancestors come to him in a dream. They tell him he still has much to accomplish - and he flees. This is the start of an enthralling adventure involving traversing dangerous bushveld teeming with wild animals of all kinds, crossing mighty rivers and negotiating lands populated by foreign peoples. The story includes some wonderful and thrilling encounters - the courting of Zakhi, the love of his life; the island school of Nkosazana, the female mistress of traditional medicine and divining in the swamps of the Usuthu River between what is now South Africa and Mozambique; and an apocalyptic landscape of abandoned villages and dying people on a plateau in the Ubombo Mountains. Dube is anxious to record the culture and social conditions of the time as well as to tell the story. It is thus a Zulu novel in a real sense, quite different to the form that developed in the West. This translation of Insila kaShaka by Thembani Ndiya Nene and Robert Mshengu Kavanagh, comes with a substantial introduction and a glossary.

Monumental epic poem tells the heroic story of Aeneas, a Trojan who escaped the burning ruins of Troy to found Lavinium, the parent city of Rome, in the west.

A first full-length study of the political economy of the nineteenth-century Swazi state.

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is the third novel by Mary Ann Evans. It was published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, it is notable for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issues ranging from religion to industrialisation to community.

Modern Written Arabic is a complete reference guide to the grammar of modern written Arabic. The Grammar presents an accessible and systematic description of the language, focusing on real patterns of use in contemporary written Arabic, from street signs to literature. Examples are drawn from authentic texts, both literary and journalistic, published since 1990. This comprehensive work is an invaluable resource for intermediate and advanced students of Arabic and anyone interested in Arabic linguistics and the way modern written Arabic works. Features include: comprehensive coverage of all parts of speech full cross-referencing authentic examples, given in Arabic script, transliteration and translation a detailed index.

Iconic playwright and performance poet, Maishe Maponya, surveys with passion the milestones in the making of South Africa since 1994. In richly indigenous verse and with the humour that has made it possible for them to turn defeat into victory over the years he sings of his people's struggles, their hopes, anger and pain, and above all the people's demand for something better than what they have now. His is a deeply South African voice . Fearlessly he penetrates the political and public relations smokescreen of events and lays bare the truth. Satiric poetry of a high order-these poems challenge the establishment and speak with the people's voice.

This unique transdisciplinary publication is the result of collaboration between UNESCO's Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) programme, the United Nations University's Traditional Knowledge Initiative, the IPCC, and other organisations

A guide to the theatre process from forming a group through to choosing a script, directing, lighting and set design to performance and touring.

"The introductions in this anthology are meant to be just that: a basic overview of what students need to know before they begin reading, with topics that students can research further. An open access literature textbook cannot be a history book at the same time, but history is the great companion of literature: The more history students know, the easier it is for them to interpret literature. In an electronic age, with this text available to anyone with computer access around the world, it has never been more necessary to recognize and understand differences among nationalities and cultures. The literature in this anthology is foundational, in the sense that these works influenced the authors who followed them. A word to the instructor: The texts have been chosen with the idea that they can be compared and contrasted, using common themes. Rather than numerous (and therefore often random) choices of texts from various periods, these selected works are meant to make both teaching and learning easier. While cultural expectations are not universal, many of the themes found in these works are."--Open Textbook Library.