Discover the Penguin books that shaped us

Birth of a Dream Weaver

A Writer’s Awakening

‘Exquisite in its honesty and truth and resilience, and a necessary chronicle from one of the greatest writers of our time’ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Selected as a Book of the Year 2016 in the Guardian

When Ngugi wa Thiong’o arrives at the prestigious Makerere University, it embodies all the potential and excitement of the early 1960s. Campus is a haven of opportunity for the brightest African students, a meeting place for thinkers and writers from all over the world, and its alumni are filling Africa’s emerging political and cultural positions.

Despite the challenges he faces as a young black man in a British colony, it is here that Ngugi begins to find his voice as a playwright, journalist and novelist, writing his first, pivotal works just as the countries of East Africa enter the final stages of their independence struggles.

I particularly loved [Birth of A Dream Weaver]… Exquisite in its honesty and truth and resilience, and a necessary chronicle from one of the greatest writers of our time.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Guardian, Book of the Year

About Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1938-2025) was born in Limuru, Kenya, and went on to become one of the leading writers and scholars of our times. He authored numerous works of fiction, memoir and essay, including A Grain of Wheat, Devil on the Cross and Decolonizing the Mind. Ngugi was the Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine; he held fourteen honorary doctorates, among other awards, and was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.
Details
  • Imprint: Vintage
  • ISBN: 9781784701307
  • Length: 256 pages
  • Dimensions: 198mm x 16mm x 129mm
  • Weight: 181g
  • Price: £10.99
All editions