Anansi: New & Ancient African Tales - Hardcover

by Emily Zobel Marshall (Foreword by), Ivana Akotowaa Ofori (Introduction by), Ian Ableson (Contribution by)

Building on the popularity of mythological retellings, here's a new book, with new stories and a fascinating introduction to the enigmatic Anansi. A beautiful collectable edition.

Gorgeous collectable edition. Anansi is at once a creator god, a trickster folk hero, a wily spider and a heroic symbol of resistance. From his origins in West African folklore, to his lauded status in Jamaican culture, Anansi is a versatile immortal whose many stories reflect the early world of his origins, and the potential for re-imagination. Sometimes dark and chilling, occasionally light-hearted, but always lively and clever, Anansi appears in the lives of everyday folk, pricks the pomposity of the mighty and in this collection of new stories, appears in the modern and the ancient world, a symbol still of individuality and resilience, adapting to city life, with the undertow of ancient lore ever-present.

Introductory essay by Ivana Akotowaa Ofori, and foreword by Emily Zobel Marshall. The modern authors whose stories feature in this book are: Ian Ableson, Benjamin Cyril Arthur, Bernice Arthur, Emmanuel Blavo, Bryoni Campbell, Sara Chisolm, Yazeed Dele-Azeez, A.L. Dawn French, Yeayi Kobina, Alina Mereșescu, Ella N'Diaye, Florence Onyango, Frances Pauli, Shruti Ramesh, Peter K. Rothe, and Chisom Umeh.

About the series: Discover the mythology of humankind through its heroes, characters, gods and immortal figures. Myths, Gods & Immortals brings together the new and the ancient, familiar stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Each book brings back to life a legendary, mythological or folkloric figure, with new stories alongside a comprehensive introduction which tells the original tales and emphasizes ancient and modern connections, tracing history and stories across continents, cultures and peoples. New and emerging writers from open submissions reveal hidden themes, casting fresh perspectives on well known stories, alongside the specially commissioned story of the origins and the cultural background from the era. The first titles are Medusa, Odin, Anansi and Circe.

Author Biography

Ivana Akotowaa Ofori ('Introducing Anansi') is a Ghanaian storyteller. She is a weaver of words in many forms, including fiction, non-fiction and spoken-word poetry. A 2023 alumna of the Clarion West Six-Week Writing Workshop, Akotowaa has been nominated and shortlisted for various awards, including the Miles Morland Writing Fellowship and the Nommo Awards. Her work has appeared in anthologies such as Tor.com's Africa Risen (2022), and Clinamen Editions' Daring Shifts (2023) and in online magazines such as Jalada Africa and AFREADA. Her debut novella, The Year of Return was published in 2024 by Android Press. She lives in Accra, Ghana.

Emily Zobel Marshall (Foreword) is a Professor of Postcolonial Literature at Leeds Beckett University. She is of French-Caribbean and British heritage and grew up in the mountains of Snowdonia in North Wales. An expert on the trickster figure in the folklore, oral cultures and literature of the African Diaspora, she has published widely in these fields, including her books Anansi's Journey: A Story of Jamaican Cultural Resistance (2012, UWI press) and American Trickster: Trauma Tradition and Brer Rabbit (2019, Rowman and Littlefield). She develops her creative work alongside her academic writing and her collection Bath of Herbs was published by Peepal Tree Press in 2023.