---

Critics and social historians have long recognized the inherent link between literature and the dynamic realities of human beings. Literature helps us learn about the social conditions of any particular period. The social processes which shape human personalities, their groups, institutions, problems, are all registered in their literature (both oral and written). Yet, much attention has not been paid to the dynamic nature of oral literature. Especially, it is usually thought as a dull reservoir of the nostalgic past.This book, therefore, provides a new insight into the inherent nature of oral poetry of the Guji,transformation of the folk poems in the wider changing sociocultural climate. It addresses the changes and continuities in the life of the people as depicted in their oral literature.

---

Ashenafi Belay Adugna, was born in 1982 at a village called Harato, Jimma-Geneti District, in Wallaga. He studied English Language Teaching (BEd.) at Dilla University, and his MA in Literature at Addis Ababa University. Currently he is a lecturer at Jimma University, College of Social Sciences and Law, teaching literature courses.

---