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Post by archaeologist on Sept 23, 2024 13:28:36 GMT -5
Thought I should make a thread about historical fiction set in Africa I will start with two books about the same historical person, Piankhy the Kushite king who in the 8th century BC conquered Egypt. One can read about his achievements on the victory stela of Piankhy which was found in Jebel Barkal and which now is housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The two books are: Piankhy the Great by E Harper Johnson, an African American artist and author born in the 1920s and dead in 2016. He both wrote the book about Piankhy and made the illustrations. Piankhy the Great was published in 1962. The Black Pharaoh by Christian Jacq. Jacq is a French author and Egyptologist (born in 1947) who has written several books, both fact and fiction, about ancient Egypt. The Black Pharaoh was published in 1999. The Victory Stela of Piankhy
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Post by anansi on Sept 23, 2024 21:55:36 GMT -5
Your pics are not popping up.
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Post by archaeologist on Sept 24, 2024 4:47:59 GMT -5
Your pics are not popping up. So strange, I can see them clearly. But I posted them again. Hope they are visible now.
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Post by archaeologist on Sept 26, 2024 6:36:23 GMT -5
Rafael Scotts novel Beyond Mali is set in the kingdom of Mali in the early 1300s. The novel focuses on the relation between the two brothers Musa and Abubakari. It tells about their rivalry but also about Abubakaris wish to explore the great Ocean and what is beyond it. Well written novel where we learn to know the protagonists rather well and their ambitions. It also speculates about what happened to the lost expedition of Mansa Abubakari II. Rafael Scott is an African American author. His first novel, The Lion's Brood: The Story of Hannibal, was published in April 2004 (re-released in November 2010). His second novel, Beyond Mali, was published in 2006 (re-released in August 2013). Beyond Mali
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Post by anansi on Sept 26, 2024 10:14:02 GMT -5
Going on my to read list, thanks.
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Post by archaeologist on Sept 28, 2024 11:59:41 GMT -5
Exciting and captivating is the novel The Great Ponds by the Nigerian author Elechi Amadi. Here you can follow two villages in eastern Nigeria sometime after the turn of the last century. The two villages come into conflict over some ponds rich in fish. The conflict soon escalates into full-scale war and other villages also risk being drawn into the war. The book is at the same time deeply connected to the local tradition but also a general study of the dynamics of war. Here you can follow the different phases of the conflict, how it starts with enthusiastic bragging, but soon turns into seriousness and despair. After a while the loss of lives and general devastation begins to take its toll on the people. At the same time, a great plague breaks loose. The people then turn to the gods for help in their difficult situation. And they also ask other villages to mediate. Elechi Amadi
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Post by archaeologist on Oct 14, 2024 16:39:08 GMT -5
One time I found a small book in an antiques book shop. I bought it out of curiosity. The book consisted of tales from the kingdom of Kiziba in todays Tanzania. The tales were selected and translated from the Haya language by Swedish author Philippa Wiking. It was published in 1982. Here is a translation of the text on the back side of the cover: A more extensive translation of the original is available in English: The History of Kiziba and Its Kings
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