In this fresh and innovative book, Mineke Schipper makes a powerful case for African literature on its own terms, not those of the West. Drawing on her extensive studies as well as her considerable experience on the African continent, she shows how the African novel was born of a painful relationship between a Western novel and the African oral tradition; suggests definitions of realism that can be applied to African texts; and examines the political implications of literary communication in Africa. Throughout Beyond the Boundaries, Ms Schipper argues for an awareness of the restrictions that are imposed on cultural views by an inherited one-way perspective, and for a willingness to explore beyond one's cultural boundaries. Her book is a valuable contribution to the understanding of literature across cultures.