ABANTU BESIZWE, historical and biographical writings, 1902-1944

625 pp., paperback, Johannesburg, 2009

Edited and translated by Jeff Opland.

Author, poet, newspaper editor, historian and translator S.E.K.Mqhayi (1875-1945) was a great Xhosa praise poet and earned the title "Imbongi yesizwe jukelele", the poet of the whole nation. Although a great figure in the history of South African literature his achievement has never been fully appreciated as he wrote only in Xhosa. This new volume of Mqhayi's writings, edited and translated by Jeff Opland, with the assistance of Luvo Mabina, Koliswa Moropa, Nosisi Mpolweni and Abner Nyamende, contains 65 historical and biographical essays contributed to newspapers between 1902 and 1944, as orginally published, with facing English translations.

Jeff Opland is Visiting Professor of African Language Literatures at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and Research Fellow in the Department of African Languages, University of South Africa (UNISA).