This concise edition of the
biography of Walatta-Petros (1672) tells the story of an Ethiopian
saint who lived from 1592 to 1642 and led a successful nonviolent
movement to preserve African Christian beliefs in the face of
European protocolonialism. This is the oldest-known book-length
biography of an African woman written by Africans before the
nineteenth century, and one of the earliest stories of African
resistance to European influence. Written by her disciples after her
death, The Life of
Walatta-Petros praises
her as a friend of women, a devoted reader, a skilled preacher, and a
radical leader, providing a rare picture of the experiences and
thoughts of Africans—especially women—before the modern era. In
addition to an authoritative and highly readable translation, this
edition, which omits the notes and scholarly apparatus of the
hardcover, features a new introduction aimed at students and general
readers.