what is Ethiopian literature?
As it is commonly assumed, Ethiopian literature starts with the introduction of Christianity and its recognition as the religion of the state by King Ezana in 340. Early Christian writings, almost entirely translated from Greek, form the so called Axumite literature (340-990). The oldest Ethiopian manuscript preserved to our times is that of Garima Gospels from the 5th/6th century. Overall, the Ethiopian Bible contains a number of books considered as apocryphal; the most notorious of them is the Book of Henoch that survived only in the Ethiopian version. Apart from the Bible, Axumite translations includes also other more or less important Christian texts, such as the monastic rules of Pachomius or the Physiologus.
A period stretching from the 8th to the 12th century forms an Ethiopian dark age; there are no texts dating from that period. The new beginning started with the Solomonic dynasty around 1270. There is also a new language, Amharic, that replaces Ge'ez in everyday contexts. Nonetheless, Ge'ez continues to be the traditional language of writing, a sort of Ethiopian Latin. The 14th and 15th centuries are considered as the Golden Age in which original literary creation, taking the shape of homilies and prophecies, appears. It is also the period of the encounter with the exterior world, represented by various Portuguese travellers and Jesuits.
By the 16th century, an Islamic invasion puts an end to the Christian Golden Age. Nonetheless, it brings about interesting texts, such as the letter of Abba 'Enbaqom to Ahmad ibn Ibrahim, explaining the reasons why the conqueror should abandon Islam. On the brink of 16th/17th century, a new streak of translations, now from Arabic, enlivens the written culture of Ethiopia. Amharic, together with Ge'ez, acquires the status of a written language. A particularly interesting text from this period is the description of the Oromo people and its recent migration into the territory of Ethiopia, given by Abba Bahrey (The History of the Galla).
Modern Ethiopian literature seems tiny and inconspicuous compared to those ancient precedents. The birth of novel in Amharic may be associated with Haddis Alemayehu's Love to the Grave (1968).
A period stretching from the 8th to the 12th century forms an Ethiopian dark age; there are no texts dating from that period. The new beginning started with the Solomonic dynasty around 1270. There is also a new language, Amharic, that replaces Ge'ez in everyday contexts. Nonetheless, Ge'ez continues to be the traditional language of writing, a sort of Ethiopian Latin. The 14th and 15th centuries are considered as the Golden Age in which original literary creation, taking the shape of homilies and prophecies, appears. It is also the period of the encounter with the exterior world, represented by various Portuguese travellers and Jesuits.
By the 16th century, an Islamic invasion puts an end to the Christian Golden Age. Nonetheless, it brings about interesting texts, such as the letter of Abba 'Enbaqom to Ahmad ibn Ibrahim, explaining the reasons why the conqueror should abandon Islam. On the brink of 16th/17th century, a new streak of translations, now from Arabic, enlivens the written culture of Ethiopia. Amharic, together with Ge'ez, acquires the status of a written language. A particularly interesting text from this period is the description of the Oromo people and its recent migration into the territory of Ethiopia, given by Abba Bahrey (The History of the Galla).
Modern Ethiopian literature seems tiny and inconspicuous compared to those ancient precedents. The birth of novel in Amharic may be associated with Haddis Alemayehu's Love to the Grave (1968).
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