Afonso I Mvemba a Nzinga, King of Kongo: His Life and Correspondence

by John K. Thornton, Luis Madureira (Translator)

" John K. Thornton’s new book is another must-read . It contains both translations of the extant letters of the most significant king of Kongo’s history, Afonso I (r. 1506–1542), and a powerful, learned, and highly readable analysis of what these letters tell us about the life and times of one of the most important rulers anywhere in the world during the sixteenth century. This book will be essential reading for scholars, teachers, and students engaged with the history of the Kingdom of Kongo."
—Toby Green, King’s College London

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2023

About the author

A specialist in the history of Africa, the African Diaspora and the Atlantic world, John K. Thornton is professor of African American Studies and History at Boston University.

Reviews

[Lious Moco · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is some sort of critical biography of Afonso I Mvemba a Nzinga of Kongo and an analysis of his political and social actions/activities during his reign, mostly informed by the extant letters he wrote. It also contains the complete English translations of the extant letters he wrote and some correspondences that were addressed to him and some accounts with information on some of socio-political activities and events that happened during his life and reign. This book has helped deepen my knowledge of the history of Kongo in the first half of the 16th century.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and researched book about a really interesting time period. The only critique I have is on some of the translations of the letters, which could have been done a little differently in my mind (this is totally based off of personal preference with having worked on these documents, the translations were still very good).