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Sunjata: Gambian Versions of the Mande Epic in Penguin Classics

"The Penguin Classics edition of Sunjata: Gambian Versions of the Mande Epic presents two distinct oral performances of the founding of the Mali Empire. Translated and edited by Bamba Suso and Banna Kanute, with scholarship by Gordon Innes and Lucy Durán, this volume provides critical access to the Mandinka griot tradition, highlighting the differences between historical recitation and dramatic musical performance. The epic of Sunjata (also spelled Sundiata or Son-Jara) is the foundational narrative of the Mande people of West Africa. While many readers first encounter this story through D.T. Niane’s prose adaptation, the Penguin Classics edit..."

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