Great Sogolon’s House

Mande Epic from the Condé Bards of Fadama, Guinea

David Courtney Conrad

$482.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
17 April 2025

African history; Oral history; Sociology & anthropology

Series: Fontes Historiae Africanae | Sources of African History

The unusually long version of West African Mande epic transcribed and translated for this book is an extravagant demonstration of the extremes to which Mande bardic artistry can be carried. The text presented here is the result of multiple recording sessions with an extraordinarily creative oral artist who augmented key episodes of the Sunjata epic that devolved to him from his own father, as well as previous generations of Maninka and Bamana griots of north-eastern Guinea and southern Mali. In marked contrast to versions of the Sunjata epic recounted by other griots, an essential part of this narrator's performance-style is to season familiar episodes with cultural details and digress into explanations not usually offered by other bards.

Edited by: David Courtney Conrad
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 25
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780197267820
ISBN 10: 0197267823
Series: Fontes Historiae Africanae | Sources of African History
Pages: 700
Publication Date: 17 April 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of Figures Notes on Nomenclature and Translation Major Characters of the Sunjata Epic according to Djanka Tassey Conde Glossary Acknowledgements Introduction Great Sogolon's House Contents by line numbers Text Appendices A. Transcript of a performance by Mori Sanda Condé of Fadama from the market cassette

David Conrad received his Ph.D. in African History from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1981. He is Emeritus Professor of History, State University of New York at Oswego, and was President of the Mande Studies Association 1986-2008. His research is on oral tradition, indigenous religion, and early kingdoms of the Western Sudan. Among his books are A State of Intrigue, Epic Ancestors of the Sunjata Era, Somono Bala of the Upper Niger, Sunjata: A West African Epic, and the prize-winning Empires of Medieval West Africa.