Tale
Contes gabonais
Not translated into English
André Raponda-Walker · 1967
Synopsis
Tales collected directly from traditional storytellers, in all the regions of Gabon: one hundred and fifty-six tales and legends from twenty-two ethnic groups. Animals speak, the dead come back to life, sorcerers and spirits come to the aid of the heroes or attack them. The collection gives a broad sample of the country's oral traditions.
Context
The project goes back to the 1930s, and a first version appeared in the early 1950s; the 1967 edition, revised and enlarged, is regarded as the definitive version, the year before the author's death. Présence africaine reissued it in 1993, in nearly five hundred pages illustrated by Roger Sillans and prefaced by Pierre Alexandre, then in pocket format in 2001. Tradition sees it as the first work of fiction by a Gabonese author.
Who it is for
Short tales, in French, in a hefty volume best read in pieces, one tale after another.
Prizes and reception
Its author is held to be the founder of the written literature of Gabon, and the collection is still being reissued in Paris.
Sources for this page 7
The pages consulted to check this page.