Sahle Sellassie
Encyclopedia
Berhane Mariam Sahle Sellassie (Amharic: በርሃነ ማርአም ሳህለ ሰልላስሴ; born 1936) is an Ethiopia
n author who has written in three languages: Gurage
, English, and Amharic
. He wrote the first novel in Chaha
, a Gurage dialect, which was translated into English by Wolf Leslau
for publication with the title Shinega's Village. This was followed by several books in English; The Afersata (1969) is perhaps the best known of these. He has written a major work in Amharic about the war with Italy
, 1935 to 1941, and has translated other works.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n author who has written in three languages: Gurage
Gurage
Gurage is an ethnic group in Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, its population is 1,867,377 people , of whom 792,659 are urban dwellers. This is 2.53% of the total population of Ethiopia, or 7.52% of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region...
, English, and Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
. He wrote the first novel in Chaha
Chaha language
Chaha is a Semitic language spoken in central Ethiopia, mainly within the Gurage Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region and by speakers of the language who have settled in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa...
, a Gurage dialect, which was translated into English by Wolf Leslau
Wolf Leslau
Wolf Leslau ]] November 18, 2006) was a scholar of Semitic languages and one of the foremost authorities on Semitic languages of Ethiopia.-Youth and Education:Leslau was born in Krzepice, a small town near Częstochowa, Poland...
for publication with the title Shinega's Village. This was followed by several books in English; The Afersata (1969) is perhaps the best known of these. He has written a major work in Amharic about the war with Italy
Italo-Ethiopian War
Two wars opposed Italy to Ethiopia :*The First Italo-Ethiopian War won by Ethiopia,*The Second Italo-Abyssinian War won by Italy....
, 1935 to 1941, and has translated other works.
Books
- Shinega's Village: scenes of Ethiopian life, University of California Press (1964)
- The Afersata, Heinemann Educational (1969), ISBN 0435900528
- Warrior king, Heinemann Educational (1974), ISBN 043590163X - fiction based on the life of Theodore IITewodros II of EthiopiaTewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
- Firebrands, Longman (1979), ISBN 0582642434
Sources and references
- Simon Gikandi, Encyclopedia of African Literature, Routledge (2002), ISBN 0415230195 - p. 477