Critical bibliography

Recent anthologies, autobiographies, and critical monographs

The following bibliography provides a sense of the productivity and diversity of academic work on African women writers in the last ten years or so. While not all of these sources are readily accessible to many researchers, they serve on the whole to indicate the high level of interest in this area of literary scholarship. Readers may find it useful to search the bibliographical sections of the works below, (or to search literature indexes for journal articles by the authors represented here) as a way to pursue their interests further. [Call numbers refer to items located in Library West, and shelved in the main stacks unless noted otherwise].

Further suggestions regarding more general critical, biographical, and academic journal resources for African literature research are available on the Voices and the Literature bibliography pages. I also recommend in particular the GaleNet Literature Resource Center (requires UF or other licensed affiliation), and the freely available Voice of the Shuttle, and the Emory University Postcolonial Studies web pages.

Abrahams, Cecil (ed.). The Tragic life : Bessie Head and literature in southern Africa.  Trenton, NJ : Africa World Press, c1990. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. ISBN: 0865431760; 0865431779 (pbk). Reserve: PR9369.3.H4 Z851 1990

Adebayo, Aduke (ed.). Feminism and Black women's creative writing : theory, practice, and criticism. Ibadan <Nigeria> : AMD Publishers, c1996. Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 9782816485. PL8010 .F461 1996

Alkali, Zaynab and Al Imfeld (eds.). Vultures in the air : voices from Northern Nigeria. Ibadan : Spectrum Books Limited, 1995. [ This is a collection of poems and short stories by twenty-one authors living in Northern Nigeria.]
PR9387 .V841 1995

Bazin, Nancy Topping and Marilyn Dallman Seymour (eds.). Conversations with Nadine Gordimer. Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, c1990. Literary conversations. Includes index. ISBN: 0878054448 (alk. paper); 0878054456 (pbk.: alk. paper). PR9369.3.G6 Z465 1990  

Benson , Eugene and L.W. Conolly (eds.). Encyclopedia of post-colonial literatures in English. London ; New York : Routledge, 1994. Routledge reference. ISBN: 0415051991 (set). Ref: PR9080.A52 E531 1994

Berrian, Brenda F. Bibliography of African women writers and journalists : ancient Egypt-1984. 1st ed. Washington, DC : Three Continents Press, c1985. Notes: Includes index. ISBN: 0894102273 (pbk.); 0894102265 (hard). Ref: Z3508.L5 B47 1985

Bruner, Charlotte H. (ed.). The Heinemann book of African women's writing. Oxford, UK ; Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, 1993. African writers series. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. ISBN: 0435906739 (pbk.). PR9348 .H441 1993

Cartey, Wilfred G. Whispers from a continent; the literature of contemporary black Africa. New York, Random House <1969> 809.8967 C325w

Cazenave, Odile Marie, Rebellious women : the new generation of female African novelists. [Femmes rebelles. English ].  Boulder, CO : Lynne Rienner Publishers, c2000. Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-251) and index. ISBN 0894108840 (alk. paper). PQ3984 .C3913 1999

Chapman, Michael. Southern African literatures. London ; New York : Longman, 1996. Longman literature in English. ISBN: 0582053064; 0582053072 (pbk.). Ref: PL8014.S63 C47 1996

Clayton, Cherry (ed.). Women and writing in South Africa : a critical anthology. Marshalltown <South Africa> : Heinemann Southern Africa, 1989. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 288-295) and index. ISBN: 0620136871. PL8014.S62 W65x 1989

Cox, C. Brian (ed.). African writers. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, c1997. ISBN: 0684196514 (set : alk. paper). Ref: PL8010 .A453 1997

Draper, James P. (ed.). Black literature criticism : excerpts from criticism of the most significant works of Black authors over the past 200 years. Detroit : Gale Research, c1992. ISBN: 0810379295 (set); 0810385740 (set). Ref: PS153.N5 B556 1992

Driver, Dorothy <et al.> (comp.). Nadine Gordimer : a bibliography. Grahamstown, South Africa : National English Literary Museum, 1993. Series: NELM bibliographic series ; no. 10. ISBN: 1874941025. Ref: PR9369.3.G6 Z459 1993

Egejuru, Phanuel Akubueze and Ketu H. Katrak (eds.). Nwanyibu : womanbeing & African literature. 1st Africa World Press ed. Trenton, NJ : Africa World Press, 1997. Annual selected papers of the ALA ; 1991/17. Notes: "17th Annual Meeting of the African Literature Association held at Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, from March 20 to 23, 1991"--P. <1>. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN: 0865436177; 0865436185 (pbk.). PL8010 .N9 1997

Eilersen, Gillian Stead. Bessie Head : thunder behind her ears : her life and writing. Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann ; London : J. Currey ; Cape Town : D. Philip, 1995. Studies in African literature ( New series). Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. <304>-308) and index. ISBN: 0435089846 (Heinemann); 0852555350 (J. Currey); 0864862792 (D. Philip). PR9369.3.H4 Z641 1995

Emecheta, Buchi. Head above water. Oxford <England> ; Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, 1994. African writers series. Originally published: London : Ogwugwu Afo, 1986. On cover: Head above water : an autobiography. ISBN 0435909932 (pbk.). PR9387.9.E36 Z4641 1994

Gaidzanwa, Rudo Barbara. Images of women in Zimbabwean literature. Harare, Zimbabwe : College Press, 1985. ISBN 0869255843 (pbk.) PL8014.Z55 G35 1985

Gardner, Susan (Susan M.) and Patricia E. Scott. Bessie Head, a bibliography. Grahamstown, South Africa : National English Literary Museum, 1986. NELM bibliographic series ; no. 1. ISBN: 0620080361. Ref: PR9369.3.H4 Z4591 1986

Giffuni, Cathy. Bessie Head : a bibliography. Gaborone, Botswana : Botswana National Library Service, <1987>. ISBN: 999120010X. Ref: PR9369.3.H4 Z4581 1987

Hitchcott, Nicki. Women writers in Francophone Africa. Oxford ; New York : Berg, 2000. Berg French studies. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-188) and index. ISBN: 1859733018; 1859733468. PQ3980 .H58 2000

Hunter, Eva and Craig MacKenzie (eds.). Between the lines II: interviews with Nadine Gordimer, Menan du Plessis, Zoe Wicomb, Lauretta Ngcobo.  Grahamstown, South Africa : National English Literary Museum, 1993. NELM interviews series ; no. 6. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 17-19) and index. ISBN: 1874941017. PR9359.6 .B471 1993

James, Adeola (ed.). In their own voices : African women writers talk. London <England> : J. Currey ; Portsmouth (N.H.) : Heinemann, 1990. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. ISBN: 0435080431. Reserve: PR9340.5 .I5 1990

Jordan, Casper LeRoy. A bibliographical guide to African-American women writers. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, 1993. Bibliographies and indexes in Afro-American and African studies ; no. 31. ISBN: 0313276331 (alk. paper). Ref: PS153.N5 J671 1993

Killam, Douglas and Ruth Rowe (eds.). The companion to African literature. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c2000. ISBN: 0253336333 (cloth : alk. paper). Ref: PR9340 .C65 2000

Kolawole, Mary Ebun Modupe. Womanism and African consciousness. Trenton, NJ : Africa World Press, c1997. Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 0865435405 (alk. paper); 0865435413 (pbk. : alk. paper). PL8010 .K58 1997

Larrier, Renee Brenda. Francophone women writers of Africa and the Caribbean. Gainesville : University Press of Florida, c2000. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. <135>-149) and index. ISBN: 0813017424 (alk. paper). PQ3980.5 .L36 2000

Lawson, Alan <et al.> (eds.). Post-colonial literatures in English : general, theoretical, and comparative, 1970-1993. New York : G.K. Hall, 1997. A reference publication in literature. ISBN: 0816173583. Ref: PR9080 .P5651 1997

Malan, Robin (ed.). No place like and other short stories by Southern African women writers. Cape Town, South Africa : David Philip Publishers, c1999. PR9367.33.W65 N66 1999

MacKenzie, Craig (ed.). A woman alone : autobiographical writings / Bessie Head : selected and edited by Craig MacKenzie, . Oxford ; Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, 1990. African writers series. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0435905783. PR9369.3.H4 W651 1990

Miller, Christopher L. Theories of Africans : Francophone literature and anthropology in Africa. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1990. Black literature and culture. ISBN: 0226528014 (cloth : alk. paper); 0226528022 (pbk.). PQ3980 .M55 1990

Nasta, Susheila (ed.). Motherlands : black women's writing from Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia. London : Women's Press, 1991. Notes: Includes bibliography and index. ISBN: 0704342693 (pbk). PR9340.5 .M67 1991

Nelson, Emmanuel S. (ed.). African American authors, 1745-1945 : bio-bibliographical critical sourcebook. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, c2000. ISBN: 0313309108 (alk. paper). Ref: PS153.N5 A32 2000

Newell, Stephanie (ed.). Writing African women : gender, popular culture, and literature in West Africa. London ; Atlantic Highlands, NJ : Zed Books, 1997. Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 1856494497 (cased); 1856494500 (limp). PR9340.5 .W74 1997

Nfah-Abbenyi, Juliana Makuchi. Gender in African women's writing : identity, sexuality, and difference. Bloomington, IN : Indiana University Press, 1997. Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 025333344X (alk. paper); 0253211492 (pbk. : alk. paper). PL8010 .N467 1997

Odaga, Asenath Bole. Yesterday's today : a study of oral literature. Kisumu <Kenya> : Lake Publishers & Enterprises, 1984. GR356.4 .O32 1984

----- (ed.). Why the hyena has a crooked neck and other stories : anthology of short stories by Kenyan grassroots women writers & story tellers. Kisumu, Kenya : Kenya Women Literature Group, 1993. PR9348 .W499x 1993

Parekh, Pushpa Naidu and Siga Fatima Jagne (eds.). Postcolonial African writers : a bio-bibliographical critical sourcebook. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, 1998. ISBN: 0313290563 (alk. paper); 157958053X. Ref: PL8010 .P585 1998

Scanlon , Paul A. (ed.). South African writers. Detroit, MI : Gale Group, 2000. Dictionary of literary biography ; v. 225. ISBN: 0787631345 (alk. paper). Ref: PS21 .D521 v. 225

Schreiner, Barbara (ed.). A Snake with ice water : prison writings by South African women.  Johannesburg, South Africa : COSAW, Congress of South African Writers, <1992>. ISBN: 1874879095. PR9364.5.P7 S63 1992

Stratton, Florence. Contemporary African literature and the politics of gender. London ; New York : Routledge, 1994. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 185-194) and index. ISBN: 0415097703 (acid-free paper); 0415097711 (pbk. : acid-free paper). PR9340.5 .S77 1994

Tsikang, Seageng and Dinah Lefakane (eds.). Women in South Africa : from the heart : an anthology of stories. Johannesburg : Seriti sa Sechaba Publishers, 1988. ISBN: 0620110449. PR9364.5.W6 W6 1988

Van Niekerk, Annemarie. The torn veil : and other womens short stories from the continent of Africa. 1st ed. Cape Town <South Africa> : Queillerie Publishers, c1998. Notes: "Biographical notes"--P. 459-471. Includes bibliographical references (p. xxiii). ISBN: 1874901694. PL8013.E5 V36 1998

Vera, Yvonne (ed.). Opening spaces : an anthology of contemporary African women's writings. Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, 1999. African writers series. ISBN: 0435910108. PL8011 .O64 1999

Vigne, Randolph. A gesture of belonging : letters from Bessie Head, 1965-1979. London : SA Writers, 1991. ISBN 1872086047. PR9369.3.H4 G4x

Zimbabwe Women Writers. Poetry and short stories. [Written by members of Zimbabwe Women Writers from 1990-1998]. <Harare, Zimbabwe : The Writers, 1998>. PR9364.5.W6 Z565x 1998

 

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