The University of Wisconsin Press

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Women / Africa & Diaspora / Folklore / Arts

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In Praise of Black Women Volume 1 Ancient African Queens Simone Schwarz-Bart with André Schwarz-Bart Translated by Rose-Myriam Réjouis, Stephanie K. Turner, and Val Vinokurov With a Foreword by Howard Dobson, Director of The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture/New York Public Library A magnificently illustrated tribute to Black women in art and story In Praise of Black Women is a magnificent tribute to women in Africa and the African diaspora from the ancient past to the present. Lavishly illustrated, with text written and selected by the celebrated Guadeloupean novelist Simone Schwarz-Bart, this four-volume series celebrates remarkable women who distinguished themselves in their time and shaped the course of culture and history. Volume 1: Ancient African Queens weaves together oral tradition, folk legends and stories, songs and poems, historical accounts, and travelers' tales from Egypt to southern Africa, from prehistory to the nineteenth century. These women rulers, warriors, and heroines include Amanirenas, the queen of Kush who battled Roman armies and defeated them at Aswan; Daurama, mother of the seven Hausa kingdoms; Amina Kulibali, founder of the Gabu dynasty in Senegal; Ana de Sousa Nzinga, who resisted the Portuguese conquest of Angola; Beatrice Kimpa Vita, a Kongo prophet burned at the stake by Christian missionaries; Nanda, mother of the famous warrior-king Shaka Zulu; and many others. These extraordinary women's stories, narrated in the style of African oral tradition, are absorbing, informative, and accessible. The abundant illustrations, many of them rare archival images, depict the diversity among Black women and make this volume a unique treasure for every art lover, every school, and every family. Simone Schwarz-Bart is the author of six novels and a play, which have been translated and published in many languages; Between Two Worlds and The Bridge of Beyond have been published in English. André Schwarz-Bart is the author of three novels, including Le dernier des Justes (The Last of the Just), which was awarded the 1959 Prix Goncourt and has been translated into twenty languages. Rose-Myriam Rejouis and Val Vinokurov have previously translated two works by French novelist Patrick Chamoiseau into English: Solibo Magnificent and Texaco. They have translated In Praise of Black Women with Stephanie K. Turner. Howard Dodson is Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture/New York Public Library in New York City. Find out more about other volumes of In Praise of Black Women IIn Praise of Black Women Vol. 2 Heroines of the Slavery Era In Praise of Black Women Vol. 3 Modern African Women Additional information about the French and English Editions This series originally appeared in French as a six-volume work entitled Hommage à la Femme Noire published in 1988 by Editions Consulaires, with more than 10,000 sets sold. Volume 1 in English combines the French Volumes 1 & 2. Volume 2 in English is a translation of Volume 3 in French. Volume 3 in English is a translation of Volume 4 in French, but also includes new material. Distributed in the U.K., Europe, and Africa by Africa Book Centre, Ltd., London africabookcentre.com Distributed in the Caribbean by Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica ianrandlepublishers.com A series for every family and school Published under the auspices of UNESCO Standing orders may be placed for all four volumes Publication dates may be subject to change For more information, see in praise of black women

March 2001 LC: 00-012316 HQ 448 pp.   9 x 12   685 color illus. Cloth $60.00 t  ISBN 978-0-299-17250-3 Add titles to your shopping cart by clicking on the "Add this book to cart" link above. You can submit your order electronically, paying for it with your credit card. Click here for a further explanation of the shopping cart feature Never ordered from us before? Read this first.   Published under the auspices of UNESCO Co-published with Modus Vivendi Publications

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