Yayne Abäba is a short novel by the Ethiopian writer, politician, and onetime Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Makonnen Endelkachew. The story features the adventures of a young girl named Yayne Abäba, which means "flower of my eye".[1] It is one of the earliest modern works of science fiction in Islamic literature, and is considered a seminal work in black science fiction. It is sometimes described as containing elements of a cosmic, Lovecraftian horror.[2][3]
Publication history
editThe story first appeared as the eponymously titled "Yayne Abäba".[4] In later publications, this story came to be known as "Aläm Wärätäna", variously translated into English as "The Inconsistent World", "Fickle World", or "Unstable People". There is not scholarly consensus on when the story was first published, and its first publication date is variously reported as 1945, 1947, 1948, or 1955.[5] Likewise, there are several disagreeing accounts of when the story was first written, in 1948 or 1917.[1] Endelkachew himself was once quoted as saying he'd written it (or some version of it) in 1909 as an anti-slavery story, when he would have been 19 years old.[5]
The story was originally published in a collection titled Bitwoded: Three Plays. It was translated into English in 2007 by K.M. Simon, and published under the title The City of the Poor.[6][7][8][9]
Plot
editIn the story, Abäba, an adolescent girl of the Amhara people, is trafficked into slavery. After she escapes her captors, she goes on numerous adventures until finally reuniting with her family. There is a fantastical dream sequence in which she employs a microscope to look behind the superficialities of the world to see the frightening true realities that lie beneath.
References
edit- ^ a b Fellman, Jack (1996). "Ras Bitwädded Mäkonnen Endalkachäw: Some Thoughts on His Life and Work". Research in African Literatures. 27 (2). Indiana University Press: 194–195. JSTOR 3820172. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ Ahmad, Muhammad Aurangzeb (2014-08-14). "Ethopian Amharic Sci-Fi from 1945". Islam and Science Fiction. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ Nevins, Jess (2012-09-27). "The Black Fantastic: Highlights of Pre-World War II African and African-American Speculative Fiction". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ Nevins, Jess (2017). "Abäba, Yayne". The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Pulp Heroes. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ a b Kane, Thomas Leiper (1975). Ethiopian Literature in Amharic. Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 13, 33, 166. ISBN 9783447016759. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ Belcher, Wendy. "Translated African Language Novels". Wendy Laura Belcher: Writing advice for academics, Research & Teaching About Africa. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ Westley, David (1987). "African-Language Literature in English Translation: An Annotated Bibliography". Research in African Literatures. 18 (4). Indiana University Press: 499–509. JSTOR 3819552. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ Azeze, Fekade (1985). "Ethiopian Creative Writing and Criticism in English A Review and Bibliography". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 18. Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 34–50. JSTOR 41965926. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ Nintai, Moses N. (2000). "African Languages: Literary Translation into English". In Classe, Olive (ed.). Encyclopedia of Literary Translation Into English. Vol. 1. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. p. 21. ISBN 1884964362. Retrieved 2021-10-08.