A Rain of Words: A Bilingual Anthology of Women's Poetry in Francophone Africa

Irène Assiba d'. Almeida

University of Virginia Press, 2009 - Literary Criticism - 293 pages

Although the past two decades have seen a wide recognition of the notable fiction written in French by African women, little attention has been given to their equally significant poetry. A Rain of Words is the first comprehensive attempt to survey the poetic production of these women, collecting work by forty-seven poets from a dozen francophone African countries. Some are established writers; others are only beginning to publish their work. Almost none of the poems here have been published outside of Africa or Europe or been previously translated into English. The poems are accompanied by brief biographies of the poets. Supplementing these are a critical introductory essay by Irène Assiba d'Almeida that places women's poetry in the context of recent African history, characterizes its thematic and aesthetic features, and traces the process by which the anthology was compiled and edited, an essay by Janis A. Mayes discussing language politics, the cultural contexts within which the poetry emerges, and literary translation strategies, and an extensive bibliography.

This landmark bilingual collection--the result of ten years of research, collection, editing, and translation--offers readers of English and French entry into a flourishing and essential genre of contemporary African literature.

Contents

• BERTHEEVELYNE AGBO BENIN: 3
• DOMINIQUE AGUESSY BENINSENEGAL: 9
• ASSAMALA AMOI CÔTE DIVOIRE: 19
• EDWIGE ARABA APLOGAN BENIN: 27
• AMINATA ATHIÉ MAURITANIA: 33
• ANGÈLE BASSOLÉOUÉDRAOGO BURKINA FASO: 39
• SOKHNA BENGA SENEGAL: 49
• TANELLA BONI CÔTE DIVOIRE: 59
• IRÈNE ASSIBA DALMEIDA BENINUSA: 75
• BERNADETTE DAO BURKINA FASO: 87
• MARIE CLAIRE DATI CAMEROON: 93
• MADELEINE DE LALLÉ BURKINA FASO: 99
• OUMOU DEMBÉLÉ MALI: 105
• FATOU BINETOU DIAGNE SENEGAL: 113
• KOUMANTHIO ZEINAB DIALLO GUINEA: 125
• NAFISSATOU DIA DIOUF SENEGAL: 131
• RAMATOULAYE DIOUF SENEGAL: 137
• JÉMIMA FIADJOEPRINCE AGBODJAN TOGO: 147
• MONIQUE ILBOUDO BURKINA FASO: 159
• SANDRA PIERRETTE KANZIÉ BURKINA FASO: 167
• WEREWERE LIKING CAMEROON: 177
• HORTENSE MAYABA BENIN: 187
• MAME SECK MBACKÉ SENEGAL: 191
• JEANNE NGO MAI CAMEROON: 205
• ANNETTE PEMBÉ CAMEROON: 219
• FATOUMATA SANO SISSOKO GUINEA: 233
• VÉRONIQUE TADJO CÔTE DIVOIRE: 243
• OUMY BAALA THIONGANE SENEGAL: 259
• SHAÏDA ZAROUMEY NIGER: 275
• Copyright Acknowledgments: 287

Bibliographic information

• Title: A Rain of Words: A Bilingual Anthology of Women's Poetry in Francophone Africa; CARAF Books: Caribbean and African Literature Translated from French Series; CARAF books
• Editor: Irène Assiba d'. Almeida
• Translated by: Janis Alene Mayes
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press, 2009
• Original from: the University of California
• Digitized: Feb 24, 2010
• ISBN: 081392765X, 9780813927657
• Length: 293 pages
• Subjects: Literary Criticism / African; Literary Criticism / Women Authors; Poetry / African; Poetry / European / General