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Sounds of a Cowhide Drum – A landmark South African poetry collection by Oswald Joseph Mtshali, capturing the lived realities, hardships, resilience, and humanity of black South Africans during apartheid. With a foreword by Nadine Gordimer, this influential Renoster Books publication remains a cornerstone of modern African literature.
1 in stock
Sounds of a Cowhide Drum by Oswald Joseph Mtshali is one of the most important and enduring works of South African poetry published during the apartheid era. First released by Renoster Books in 1971, this groundbreaking collection introduced a powerful African voice into English-language South African literature and quickly became recognised as a landmark contribution to modern African poetry.
Mtshali’s poems vividly portray the realities of township life, labour, poverty, injustice, resilience, and human dignity in apartheid South Africa. His writing combines sharp observation with lyrical intensity, creating poetry that is both politically significant and emotionally moving. Sounds of a Cowhide Drum is rooted in everyday experience yet possesses a universal humanity that has ensured its continued relevance decades after publication.
This 1972 sixth impression paperback includes the highly regarded foreword by Nobel Prize-winning South African author Nadine Gordimer, who praised Mtshali’s striking imagery and compassionate yet uncompromising poetic voice. The iconic cover artwork by Wopko Jensma further enhances the historical and artistic significance of Sounds of a Cowhide Drum.
Renoster Books editions of Sounds of a Cowhide Drum have become increasingly sought after by collectors of Africana, South African literary history, protest literature, and African poetry. The work occupies an important place in the development of black South African literature in English and remains widely studied internationally.
An essential addition for collectors of African literature, apartheid-era publications, and influential twentieth-century poetry, Sounds of a Cowhide Drum represents both an important literary achievement and a culturally significant historical document from South Africa’s turbulent past.
Condition – Very Good
1972 sixth impression paperback. Shelf-worn covers with light handling wear. Prior ownership sticker present on the endpaper. Internally clean and securely bound overall. A well-preserved collectible copy of this important South African literary work.
