Abstract
Because the poetry of Malawi receives so little attention (it comes from a nation much given to hiding its collective light) it might be appropriate to offer a brief overview of its main features and concerns. As in other African nations, there has been a post-colonial upsurge of writing and this in both English and the main local language Chichewa. A bibliography by Made and Jackson, however, reveals a written tradition, mainly evangelistic, dating back a cen — tury — a reminder that Malawi was the land of Livingstone and a strong missionary presence. The oral heritage is rich and a psychological rehabilitation wrought since Independence has halted its declining status and made it a fertile taproot for the emerging written tradition.
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References
Brutus, Dennis, A Simple Lust (London: Heinemann, 1973).
Chimombo, Steve, Napolo Poems (Zomba, Malawi: anchichi, 1987).
Made, S. M., M. V. B. Mangoche-Mbewe and R. Jackson 100 Years of Chichewa in Writing, 1875–1975 University of Malawi Library Publication No. 4, 1976.
Mapanje, Jack, Of Chameleons and Gods ( London: Heinemann, 1981 ).
Mnthali, Felix, When Sunset Comes To Sapitwa ( London: Longman, 1981 ).
Mpina, Edison, Raw Pieces (Blantyre, Malawi: Hetherwick Press).
wa Thion’go, Ngugi, Homecoming ( London: Heinemann, 1972 ).
White, Landeg, and David Kerr, ‘Malawian Literature’, Odi, Malawi, 1971.
White, Landeg, and Jack Mapanje, Oral Poetry from Mapanje ( London: Longman, 1983 ).
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© 1993 Norman Page and Peter Preston
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Roscoe, A. (1993). The Quiet Chameleon: The Modern Poetry of Malawi. In: Page, N., Preston, P. (eds) The Literature of Place. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11505-1_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11505-1_15
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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