Jigawa State Library Board

National Library of Nigeria
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Some notable books written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Novels

Weep Not, Child (1964) – His first novel, and the first in English by an East African.

The River Between (1965) – Explores the clash between traditional African culture and Christianity.

A Grain of Wheat (1967) – Set during the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.

Petals of Blood (1977) – A critique of neocolonialism and corruption in post-independence Kenya.

Devil on the Cross (1980) – Written in Gikuyu while Ngũgĩ was in prison, later translated to English.

Matigari (1987) – A political allegory originally written in Gikuyu.

Memoirs

Detained: A Writer's Prison Diary (1981) – Account of his imprisonment without trial.

Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir (2010)

In the House of the Interpreter (2012)

Birth of a Dream Weaver (2016)

Plays

The Black Hermit (1963)

Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want) (co-written with Ngugi wa Mirii, 1977)

Essays and Non-Fiction

Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (1986) – His influential work on language and literature.

Writers in Politics (1981)

Moving the Centre: The Struggle for Cultural Freedoms (1993)

Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance (2009)

Ngũgĩ wrote in both English and Gikuyu, often translating his own works to promote African languages and decolonize literature