'Poetry, always foremost of the arts in traditional Africa, has continued to compete for primacy against the newer forms of prose fiction and theatre drama.' This wonderfully comprehensive anthology of African poetry has been expanded to include ninety-nine poets from twenty-seven countries, thirty-one of whom appear for the first time. Equally wide-ranging is the content of the poetry itself: war songs and political protests jostle with poems about human love, African nature and the surprises that life offers; all are represented in these rich and colourful pages.

About the Author

Gerald Moore has taught at universities in various parts of Africa and Hong Kong. His publications include Wole Soyinka (1978) and Twelve African Writers (1984) and three earlier editions of the present anthology. Uli Beier is the director of art and research centres in Papua-New Guinea, Nigeria and at the University of Beyreuth (Bavaria). His publications include Art in Nigeria 1960 (1960) and West African Mud Sculpture (1962).

Reviews

"Freshness, passion, spontaneity, sensuousness are not common qualities in poetry today . . . but they are to be found in abundance among African poets of the last few decades."
-"The Daily Telegraph", London

"Africa is producing some of the most original and exciting poetry now being written anywhere in the world."
-Edward Blishen