Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

 About Ngũgĩ

A perennial contender for the Nobel Prize in literature, Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a world known novelist, critic, playwright and activist. For close to half a century, Ngugi has been an eloquent voice in championing democratic and human rights. He is regarded as one of Africa’s leading writers and one of the most significant postcolonial political, social and cultural thinkers. As a cultural icon in the humanities, Ngugi occupies a unique place in Africa’s oral performance, cultural criticism and political activism.

His series of highly celebrated novels, short stories, and critical and
essays about pre- and post-independent Kenya in particular and Africa in general, blend lyricism, a profound sense of place, and meticulous characterization with uncompromising political and social commentary. His creative ability to use bold and often prudently crafted parody, humorously mixed with acerbic satire, allows him to weave narratives with deep care for form and content. His influential play with Micere Mugo, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, allowed him to realize the dream of transforming an artistic production into a communal enterprise in subtle ways, enabling him to overcome the boundary, which often separates readers from a text and its context.