oral literature

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses marchers during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. August 28th 1963

Was Martin Luther King, Jr., a Republican or a Democrat?

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The Fastest Animals on Earth

Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides

Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?

The tomb of Saint Nicholas in the crypt of the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Apulia, Italy

Do the Relics of Saint Nicholas Really Emit a Holy Substance?

Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)

7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Chinese dragon sculpture or statue.

10 Legendary Creatures from Around the World

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ballad proverb heroic poetry minstrel guslar riddle praise song counting-out rhyme rhapsode heroic prose novel children’s literature dramatic literature biography short story epic romance poetry satire saga

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Key People

Vincas Krėvė-Mickievičius

Lithuanian author

Alecsandri, Vasile

Vasile Alecsandri

Romanian author

S. Adeboye Babalola

Nigerian poet and scholar

John Pepper Clark

Nigerian author

Ansky, S.

S. Ansky

Russian writer

Joaquim Dias Cordeiro da Matta

Angolan scholar

Óscar Ribas

Portuguese-Angolan folklorist

Tiyo Soga

South African author

Sadeq Hedayat.

Sadeq Hedayat

Iranian author

Micah Joseph Berdichevsky

Russian author

Birago Diop

Senegalese author

Elias Lönnrot

Finnish folklorist

Anders Sørensen Vedel

Danish historian

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen

Norwegian author

Jørgen Engebretsen Moe

Norwegian author