Yoruba Poetry (A Special Publication of Black Orpheus)
Ibadan, Nigeria: General Publications Section, Ministry of Education, 1959.
First edition of this scarce anthology of Yoruba poetry. A special publication of the legendary Nigerian literary journal Black Orpheus, collecting traditional Yoruba poems in English translation, including poems for children, alongside silkscreens by Wenger, whose linocuts defined the aesthetic of Black Orpheus. 68 pp. Bound in publisher's silkscreened wraps, illustrated with seven tipped-in silkscreen prints (eight total including front wrapper) and ten vignettes by Wenger. Near Fine with light soiling and light wear. Pencil marking at top edges of front and rear covers. A lovely copy published as a special publication of Black Orpheus, the first African literary journal in English. The work is organized into four genres: oriki (praise), odu (oracle), ijala (hunters), and iwi (masqueraders) juxtaposed by highly contrasted Modernist depictions of Yoruba myth by Beier's first wife, Susanne Wegner. The translation of the poems into English was a collaboration between the Jewish German linguist and scholar Ulli Beier and the Yoruba poet Bakare Gbadamosi. In the preface of this work Beier relays the difficulties of translating African poetry into conventional English verse, "... the false impression is that sometimes created that African literature consists of nothing but tales about tortoise and spider. In reality poetry is is more common in African life than prose. The reason why comparatively few translations of traditional poetry exist is that many Africans argue that their poetry cannot be rendered in any European language." Scarcer than most issues of Black Orpheus.
Price: $4,800