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For centuries it has been taken for granted that Western literature stands at the center of the world's culture. But this tradition, which has relegated the literature of peoples beyond the bounds of the West almost to a "deviant" status--at best "exotic"--is more and more being recognized as a narrow and distorted perspective. How relevant, after all, are theories developed in the West for those who wish to study other literatures? In this fresh and innovative book, Ms. Schipper makes a powerful case for African literature, both as an engaging object of scholarly research and as a moral force in contemporary African society. She shows how the African novel was born of a painful relationship between the Western novel and the African oral tradition, suggests definitions of realism, and examines the political implications of literary communication in Africa. Throughout, Ms. Schipper argues for an awareness of the restrictions imposed by an inherited one-way perspective, and for a willingness to explore beyond one's cultural boundaries. The book is a valuable contribution to the understanding of literature across cultures and particularly of African literature.