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Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali

Djibril Tamsir Niane,

G.D. Pickett (Translator)

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Nov 27, 2008 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: diverse-hero-or-heroine, literature-mali, diverse-and-women-authors, myth-and-lore-africa, diversity-on-cover, work

Third re-read for the World Lit I course I am teaching.

Sundiata might have been the basis for the Lion King (or Hamlet, though there are plenty of reasons why I give source material credit for that story to the Danes and such - but there is a possibility). Unlike the European stories which focus on the son far more than the mother, the Mali epic does a large attempt of backstory for Solgon, who is not one of those wonderous beautiful creatures.

The story is a good quick read, and this version ke ...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Melanti rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, nonfiction, mythic, 2013

I read this because I've been told that it was the basis for Disney's "The Lion King". I really am not buying it.

There are some superficial similarities, but I think that has more to do with it being the same type of story. Stories about disposed and exiled royal heirs aren't uncommon in literature or oral tradition and they, generally, follow the same pattern. I can name a couple of dozen stories of similar structure that the folks at Disney were far more likely to know.

Part of the belief, I' ...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Niledaughter marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: to-check, africa

Mar 11, 2013 Gaijinmama marked it as to-read · review of another edition

1 like · Like

Jun 22, 2016 Amy Quigley marked it as to-read

Shelves: tracking-on-ereaderiq, short, mali

Feb 24, 2021 Rachel marked it as to-read

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