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''And Still I Rise'' is author Maya Angelou's third volume of poetry, published by Random House in 1978. It was published during one of the most productive periods in Angelou's career; she had written three autobiographies and published two other volumes of poetry up to that point. Angelou considered herself a poet and a playwright, but was best known for her seven autobiographies, especially her first,'' I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'', although her poetry has also been successful. She began, early in her writing career, alternating the publication of an autobiography and a volume of poetry. Although her poetry collections have been best-sellers, they have not received serious critical attention. ''And Still I Rise'' is made up of 32 short poems, divided into three parts. The poems' themes focus on a hopeful determination to rise above difficulty and discouragement, and on many of the same topics as Angelou's autobiographies and previous volumes of poetry. Two of her most well-known and popular poems, "Phenomenal Woman" and "Still I Rise", are found in this volume. She speaks for her race and gender in many of the poems, and again emphasizes the strength and resiliency of her community. Like her previous volumes of poetry, the reviews of ''And Still I Rise'' were mixed The collection's title poem, "Still I Rise", was the center of an advertising campaign for the United Negro College Fund. Two others, "Phenomenal Woman" and "Just For a Time", were previously published in ''Cosmopolitan''. "Phenomenal Woman" was one of Angelou's poems featured in the film ''Poetic Justice''. ==Background== ''And Still I Rise'' is Maya Angelou's third volume of poetry. She studied and began writing poetry at a young age.〔 After her rape at the age of eight, as recounted in her first autobiography ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' (1969), she dealt with her trauma by memorizing and reciting great works of literature, including poetry, which helped bring her out of her self-imposed muteness.〔 The publication of ''And Still I Rise'' occurred during one of the most productive periods of Angelou's career.〔 She had written songs for Roberta Flack and had composed movie scores. She had written articles, short stories, TV scripts and documentaries, autobiographies, and poetry; she produced plays; and she was named a visiting professor of several colleges and universities. In 1977, Angelou appeared in a supporting role in the television mini-series ''Roots''. She was given a multitude of awards during this period, including over thirty honorary degrees from colleges and universities from all over the world.〔 Although Angelou considered herself a playwright and poet when her editor Robert Loomis challenged her to write ''Caged Bird'',〔 she was best known for her autobiographies.〔 Many of Angelou's readers identify her as a poet first and an autobiographer second,〔 but like Lynn Z. Bloom, many critics consider her autobiographies more important than her poetry.〔 Critic William Sylvester agrees, and states that although her books have been best-sellers, her poetry has "received little serious critical attention".〔 Bloom also believes that Angelou's poetry was more interesting when she recited it. Bloom calls her performances "characteristically dynamic"〔 and says that Angelou "moves exuberantly, vigorously to reinforce the rhythms of the lines, the tone of the words. Her singing and dancing and electrifying stage presence transcend the predictable words and phrases".〔 Angelou began, early in her writing career, alternating the publication of an autobiography and a volume of poetry.〔 By the time ''And Still I Rise'' was published in 1978, she had published three autobiographies, eventually going on to publish seven. In 1993, she read her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration. The following year, her publisher, Random House, placed the poems in ''And Still I Rise'' in her first collection of poetry, ''The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou''. Also in the 1994 collection were her two previous collections, ''Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie'' (1971)〔This volume was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize (Gillespie et al, p. 103).〕 and ''Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well'', along with her two volumes published afterwards, ''Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?'' (1983) and ''I Shall Not Be Moved'' (1990). Angelou's publisher placed four poems in a smaller volume, entitled ''Phenomenal Woman'', in 1995.〔 Two of the poems in ''And Still I Rise'', "Phenomenal Woman" and "Just For a Time", appeared in ''Cosmopolitan'' in 1978.〔 In 1994, the title poem, "Still I Rise", was part of an advertising campaign for the 50th anniversary of the United Negro College Fund.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「And Still I Rise」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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