How to Read an Oral Poem honored with coveted literary award

John Miles Foley, Curator’s and Byler Professor of Classical Studies and English, recently received the 2003 Outstanding Academic Title award from Choice magazine for his book How to Read an Oral Poem.

This is Foley’s second book to receive this award. His first book, Homer’s Traditional Art, published by Pennsylvania State University Press in 1999, won the award in 2000.

Less than 3 percent of the 23,000 titles submitted to Choice are awarded this prize. Books are selected for their excellence in scholarship and presentation, the significance of their contribution to the field, and their value as an important, often the first, treatment of the subject.

How to Read an Oral Poem is designed to assist readers who may not be experienced or specialized in the field to grasp the ideas and meanings behind oral poetry and better understand the context. In his book, Foley draws from dozens of examples, including a North American slam poet, a Tibetan paper-singer, Mayan storytelling, South Slavic oral poetry and an ancient Greek bard. He explains that although oral poetry long predates the invention of writing, it continues to be a vital culture-making and communications tool in societies around the world.

Foley enhanced his book by including audio and video examples of oral poetry, which are available at www.oraltradition.org. At this Web site, the reader will find a searchable, annotated bibliography and other opportunities to deepen and enrich the ideas presented in the book.

Choice is the leading library magazine in the United States and is published by the Association of College Research Libraries. This marked their 40th annual list.

Additional links:

John Miles Foley
Department of Classical Studies
Department of English
Center for Studies in Oral Tradition

CHOICE magazine

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