The essays and public addresses of scholar, teacher, philosopher, and activist Es'kia Mphahlele are presented in this collection spanning 40 years of recent African history. The intellectual and distinctly South African perspective exhibited in these writings is enriched by humor and autobiographical anecdotes. Subjects addressed include African literature and literary criticism, education in a democratic South Africa, relations between Africans and African Americans, negritude, African identity, and African humanism. A critical introduction, full biography, bibliography, and brief synopsis of each essay are included.