The Imaginative Vision of Abdilatif Abdalla's Voice of Agony

by Abdilatif Abdalla | 30 January 2024
PAPERBACK
The extraordinary Swahili poetry collection Sauti ya Dhiki, in English Voice of Agony, is a collection of prison poems composed by Abdilatif Abdalla between 1969 and 1972. He originally wrote the poems on toilet paper while incarcerated by the government of Jomo Kenyatta for sedition as a result of his political activism. Imaginative Vision is the first complete literary translation into English-translated by the late Kenyan novelist and scholar Ken Walibora Waliaula and edited by Annmarie Drury-of one of the most esteemed and influential collections of Swahili poetry of the twentieth century. Yet Imaginative Vision is also something more. Even as it centers in a literary translation of a singularly beautiful and influential book of poetry, it tells English-language readers the story of that book. Supporting materials illuminate the circumstances of its inception when Abdilatif, aged 22, was arrested and tried. They explore what the volume meant to its first readers and its affiliations with subsequent extraordinary works of prison literature by Alamin Mazrui and Ngugi wa Thiong'o. They trace its links to literary art of the past, including of the nineteenth-century poet Muyaka bin Haji, and to writing that followed. And they explain social and historical aspects of the Swahili coastal world that nurtured Abdilatif's political engagement and stunning verbal art. Under the editorship of scholar, translator, and poet Annmarie Drury, contributors bring insights from their diverse backgrounds to present contextualizing material that illuminates the poems at the heart of this book.
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The extraordinary Swahili poetry collection Sauti ya Dhiki, in English Voice of Agony, is a collection of prison poems composed by Abdilatif Abdalla between 1969 and 1972. He originally wrote the poems on toilet paper while incarcerated by the government of Jomo Kenyatta for sedition as a result of his political activism. Imaginative Vision is the first complete literary translation into English-translated by the late Kenyan novelist and scholar Ken Walibora Waliaula and edited by Annmarie Drury-of one of the most esteemed and influential collections of Swahili poetry of the twentieth century. Yet Imaginative Vision is also something more. Even as it centers in a literary translation of a singularly beautiful and influential book of poetry, it tells English-language readers the story of that book. Supporting materials illuminate the circumstances of its inception when Abdilatif, aged 22, was arrested and tried. They explore what the volume meant to its first readers and its affiliations with subsequent extraordinary works of prison literature by Alamin Mazrui and Ngugi wa Thiong'o. They trace its links to literary art of the past, including of the nineteenth-century poet Muyaka bin Haji, and to writing that followed. And they explain social and historical aspects of the Swahili coastal world that nurtured Abdilatif's political engagement and stunning verbal art. Under the editorship of scholar, translator, and poet Annmarie Drury, contributors bring insights from their diverse backgrounds to present contextualizing material that illuminates the poems at the heart of this book.
In stock online
Extended Range: Delivery In 2-3 Working Days
Free delivery on this item
142 Reward Points

Any purchases for more than €10 are eligible for free delivery anywhere in the UK or Ireland!

€47.55
In stock online
Extended Range: Delivery In 2-3 Working Days
Free delivery on this item
142 Reward Points

Any purchases for more than €10 are eligible for free delivery anywhere in the UK or Ireland!

Product Description

The extraordinary Swahili poetry collection Sauti ya Dhiki, in English Voice of Agony, is a collection of prison poems composed by Abdilatif Abdalla between 1969 and 1972. He originally wrote the poems on toilet paper while incarcerated by the government of Jomo Kenyatta for sedition as a result of his political activism. Imaginative Vision is the first complete literary translation into English-translated by the late Kenyan novelist and scholar Ken Walibora Waliaula and edited by Annmarie Drury-of one of the most esteemed and influential collections of Swahili poetry of the twentieth century. Yet Imaginative Vision is also something more. Even as it centers in a literary translation of a singularly beautiful and influential book of poetry, it tells English-language readers the story of that book. Supporting materials illuminate the circumstances of its inception when Abdilatif, aged 22, was arrested and tried. They explore what the volume meant to its first readers and its affiliations with subsequent extraordinary works of prison literature by Alamin Mazrui and Ngugi wa Thiong'o. They trace its links to literary art of the past, including of the nineteenth-century poet Muyaka bin Haji, and to writing that followed. And they explain social and historical aspects of the Swahili coastal world that nurtured Abdilatif's political engagement and stunning verbal art. Under the editorship of scholar, translator, and poet Annmarie Drury, contributors bring insights from their diverse backgrounds to present contextualizing material that illuminates the poems at the heart of this book.

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Product Details

ISBN9780472056613

FormatPAPERBACK

PublisherTHE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS (30 January. 2024)

No. of Pages370

Weight272

Language English

Dimensions 229 x 152 x 28

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