STAINED GLASS:
Poetry from the Land of Mozambique
Edited by Luis Rafael

The East African country of Mozambique has produced a remarkable body of poetry and much of it is little known outside the Portuguese-speaking world. In many ways these poems are the reflections of the unique history of the country where different cultural traditions intersected. Today the importance and greatness of Mozambican poetry lies especially in its ability to record and try to get into the heart of the terrible events of the past. These poems function as a testimony to a profound faith in the human spirit and to a joy at the beauty and splendour of the natural world.

With an acute attention to detail STAINED GLASS is the first collection of Mozambican poetry of its kind which tries to encompass the entire literary landscape with its variety and multiplicity. Translated from original Portuguese and polished for more than ten years this anthology will not only be a joyous read to the poetry lovers, but with its annotations and commentaries this collection will also provide an in-depth intellectual outlook on the social and cultural scenario of the country from a broad scholarly perspective for academics and researchers.

About the Editor:

Luís Rafael is a Mozambican-born South African at present based in Lisbon. He has degrees in Psychology, English, Theory of Literature and American Studies. He has published academic essays on African literature and has translated novels, short stories and poetry from the Portuguese and Spanish. He has been working on a study of Nadine Gordimer's fiction, as well as on her biography.

Praise for STAINED GLASS

‘A delight to read Mozambican poetry in translation in such a masterful prose that captures the spirit and soul of the text . . . . The authors’ bio-bibliographic data add an invaluable reference piece. Stained Glass makes the Portuguese language barrier a hindrance of the past.’

Niyi Afolabi
Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin, USA
Author of The Golden Cage: Regeneration in Lusophone African Literature and Culture

‘Stained Glass is more than merely a landmark anthology of poetry: it is a literary and cultural history of a country that has a past as fascinating as it is harrowing. In its extraordinary aesthetic and linguistic range, the poetry opens a window on the complex land of Mozambique.’

Prof. Craig MacKenzie
Department of English,
University of Johannesburg, South Africa

‘A valuable and useful anthology with excellent translation of poems that were inspired by a place—Mozambique—which has been refracted through the imagination and poetic sensibility.’

Fátima Mendonça
Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique