A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore The Oral Literature, Traditions, Recollections, Legends, Tales, Songs, Religious Beliefs, Customs, Sayings and

In A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore, esteemed novelist and folklorist Harold Courlander brings together another extensive and unique collection of tales, recollections, epics, traditions, beliefs, myths, historical chronicles, and songs, this time from the numerous black cultures of the New World. This remarkable exploration, which covers the unwritten traditions and literature of the Spanish-, French-, and English-speaking islands of the Caribbean, the areas of Central and South America inhabited by people of African descent, and the black communities of the United States, brings to light amazing tales of scoundrels, heroes, rollicking adventures, and friendship, descriptions of cult life around which many traditions and beliefs flowed, insight into the social scene in places where black and white ideas intermingled and became Afro-American, and much more. With a focus on the interconnectedness of cultural inheritances throughout the Afro-American region as well as the local divergences, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore eloquently demonstrates the powerful cultural influence of Africa on this side of the Atlantic. Book jacket.

HAROLD COURLANDER (1914–1996) wrote many well-regarded books about the traditions, lore, and oral literature of various peoples in Africa. His works include A Treasury of African Folklore, The Fourth World of the Hopis, Tales of the Yoruba Gods and Heroes, The African, and The Son of the Leopard.