NGUGI WA THIONG'O: A GRAIN OF WHEAT

Ngugi wa Thiong’o (b.1938) is a novelist, dramatist, essayist, short-story writer, journalist and critic. Throughout the development of his career as a writer his abiding principal theme has been the struggle of the common people of Kenya to come to terms with the effects on their culture of colonialism and the neocolonialism that followed. He generally writes first in Gikuyu, then translating the work-often into Kiswahili first, and then into English. His third novel, A Grain of Wheat (First published in 1967 and subsequently revised in 1986), is set in the last five days before Kenya’s independence in 1963. The action is centred, not in the capital city of Nairobi but in a remote village Thabai, the five principal characters being Mumbi, Gikonyo, Karanja, Mugo and Kihika. This critical study explores and examines the text and subtext of the novel to bring out Ngugi’s vision for a free Kenya. It provides the background to African literature as well as tackles the critical problems associated with the novel for the benefit of university students. Shakti Batra, Formerly Vice-Principal of Dyal Singh College (University of Delhi), has also taught at the Kabul University and the University of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.

Write a review

Your Name:

Your Review:

Note: HTML is not translated!

Rating: Bad Good

Enter the code in the box below: