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OverviewOver the decades a great deal has been written about Shaka, the most famous-or infamous-of Zulu leaders. It may come as a surprise, therefore, that even the most basic facts about his life are locked in obscurity. His date of birth, what he looked like, and the circumstances of his assassination remain unknown. Meanwhile the public image, sometimes monstrous, sometimes heroic, juggernauts on-truly a ""myth of iron"" that is so intriguing, so dramatic, so archetypal, and sometimes so politically useful that few have subjected it to proper scrutiny. Myth of Iron: Shaka in History is the first book-length scholarly study of Shaka to be published. It lays out, as far as possible, all the available evidence-mainly hitherto underutilized Zulu oral testimonies, supported by other documentary sources-and decides, item by item, legend by legend, what exactly is known about Shaka's reign. The picture that emerges in this meticulously researched and absorbing antibiography is very different from the popular narrative. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Dan WyliePublisher: Ohio University Press Imprint: Ohio University Press Dimensions: Width: 17.10cm , Height: 3.60cm , Length: 24.10cm Weight: 1.066kg ISBN: 9780821418482ISBN 10: 0821418483 Pages: 616 Publication Date: 17 April 2008 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Awaiting stock The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you. Table of ContentsReviewsWylie locates what we can know or reasonaley surmise about Shaka in th broader context of local and global historical factors, which is immensely valuable. That, combined with his detailed unweaving of the Shaka myth, makes for a deeply fascinating volume. <br> Shun de Waal -- Mail & Guardian Author InformationDan Wylie teaches in the Department of English at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. He has published Savage Delight: White Myths of Shaka (2000); a memoir of the Rhodesian war, Dead Leaves (2002); and some volumes of poetry. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |