The Limba are rice farmers living in the hills of northern Sierra Leone
who have, until recently, been somewhat despised by their neighbours.
Yet they possess a subtle and fascinating literature, as illustrated by
this detailed study of their stories, collected and translated by Dr.
Finnegan. Their literary and artistic value emerges clearly when the
significance of their 'oral' character is realized. The introductory
chapters full consider such points as the importance of the actual
delivery, the part played by the story-teller, and the changing forms
arising from the originality of individual narrators. The book throws
light on the general study of oral composition and performance as well
as on the literary spirit of a previously unstudied West African people.
Ruth Finnegan OBE, FBA, Emeritus Professor Open University. Her work has
mainly been on oral performance, narrative, the ethnography of music,
and communicating (including extra-sensory perception). Her publications
include Oral Literature in Africa, The Hidden Musicians, Communicating:
the Multiple Modes of Human Communication, Why Do We Quote? and, most
recently, the novels Black Inked Pearl, Voyage of Pearl of the Seas, and
The Helix Pearl. Born in Ireland, she now lives in Old Bletchley,
southern England.
