New African Literature
and the Arts, I

The first of three book anthologies drawn from the Journal, published by Thomas Y. Crowell — a New York house established in 1834 — “in association with The Third Press.” The copyright line reads 1970; 1966, 1967 by Journal of the New African Literature and the Arts, which places its contents squarely in the first three Stanford numbers; the jacket calls it “a collector’s choice from the first three editions.” The cover reproduces Hezbon Owiti’s linocut Goddess of Animals, printed in blue on black — the same image that fronted the journal’s third issue.

The book opens with three pieces of position-taking: The Philosophy of the New African Literature, The Western Africanist Versus the African Intellectual, and Culture and Criticism. The essays include Bernth Lindfors on Richard Rive and Alex La Guma, S. Okechukwu Mezu on the origins of African poetry, John F. Povey on the first World Festival of Negro Arts at Dakar and on Dennis Brutus, Daniel P. Kunene, André Ilunga-Kabongo and Robert Green; poetry by Laura Davidson, Romanus Egudu, Zamba Liberty, Ernest Attah, Rashidah bint Rashin ibn Ismaili, John Ijeoma, Dennis Brutus, Michael J. C. Echeruo, Lemuel Johnson and Ẹzekiel Mphahlele; fiction by Joshua Ndlovu, Lemuel Johnson, Okpaku, Ama Ata Aidoo, Gregoire Ouedrago and Peter Ruoro; Okpaku’s own three-act play Born Astride the Grave, produced at Stanford; and, under music and dance, Samuel Akpabot, Dollar Brand, K. William Kgositsile and Judith Lynne Hanna. The art section carries Daniel J. Crowley, Emmanuel Odita, Don Dodson on Owiti and Daniel Biebuyck. The jacket design is by Judith Woracek Barry.