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A Grain of Wheat

byNgugi wa Thiong'o, Abdulrazak Gurnah (Introducer)
Originally published in 1967, Ngugi's third novel is his best known and most ambitious work. A GRAIN OF WHEAT portrays several characters in a village whose intertwined lives are transformed by the 1952-1960 Emergency in Kenya. As the action follows the village's arrangements for Uhuru (independence) Day, this is a novel of stories within stories, a narrative interwoven with myth as well as allusions to real-life leaders of the nationalist struggle, including Jomo Kenyatta. At the centre of it all is the reticent Mugo, the village's chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret. As events unfold, compromises are forced, friendships are betrayed and loves are tested.

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.
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