Ngũgĩ : reflections on his life of writing / edited by Simon Gikandi & Ndirangu Wachanga

This collection of essays reflects on the life and work of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who celebrated his 80th birthday in 2018. Drawing from a wide range of contributors, including writers, critics, publishers and activists, the volume traces the emergence of Ngugi as a novelist in the early 1960s, his contribution to the African culture of letters at its moment of inception, and his global artistic life in the twenty-first century. Here we have both personal and critical reflections on the different phases of the writer's life: there are poems from friends and admirers, commentaries from his co-workers in public theatre in Kenya in the 1970s and 1980s, and from his political associates in the fight for democracy, and contributions on his role as an intellectual of decolonization, as well as his experiences in the global art world. Included also are essays on Ngugi's role outside the academy, in the world of education, community theatre, and activism. In addition to tributes from other authors who were influenced by Ngugi, the collection contains hitherto unknown materials that are appearing in English for the first time. Both a celebration of the writer, and a rethinking of his legacy, this book brings together three generations of Ngugi readers. We have memories and recollections from the people he worked with closely in the 1960s, the students that he taught at the University of Nairobi in the 1970s, his political associates during his exile in the 1980s, and the people who worked with him as he embarked on a new life and career in the United States in the 1990s. First-hand accounts reveal how Ngugi's life and work have intersected, and the multiple forces that have converged to make him one of the greatest writers to come out of Africa in the twentieth century. Simon Gikandi is 1st Vice-President of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and Robert Schirmer Professor of English, Princeton University. Ndirangu Wachanga is Associate Professor of Media Studies and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin. He is also the authorized documentary biographer of Professors Ali A. Mazrui, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Micere Mugo. Frontcover 1 Contents 6 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 14 Chronology 16 Photographic Section 21 Introduction: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: Reflections on His Life of Writing 24 Ngũgĩ at Work 36 Part I Serenades & Beginnings 46 1 Hyperbolic Praise Poetry for Ngũgĩ @80 ... In Imitation of African Orature 48 2 A Song at Dawn (for Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o) 58 3 Ngũgĩ in Eritrea 59 4 Up From Makerere: On the Publication of Weep Not, Child 64 5 Encountering Ngũgĩ at Leeds: An Interview with Peter Nazareth 68 6 The Book that Made Me: On Weep Not, Chil 71 7 Note from a Literary Son 74 8 What is in a Name? 76 9 In Exile: Between Britain & Kenya 80 Part II Memories, Recollections & Tributes 84 10 Remembering Early Conversations with Ngũgĩ 86 11 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o at 80: Pongezi (Congratulations!) 89 12 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o at 80: Inspiring Encounters 92 13 Ngũgĩ in the 1970s at the University of Nairobi 98 14 ‘Professor, You are in Ngũgĩ’s Book’ 102 15 Mũraata, Mũrutani, na Mũthikĩrĩria (Friend, Teacher & Listener) 109 16 Fear & Trepidation in Asmara: Meeting Ngũgĩ 114 17 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: A True Story 120 18 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: Tribute on His 80th Birthday 125 Part III Working with Ngũgĩ 130 19 Ngũgĩ & the Decolonization of Publishing 132 20 The Turning Point: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o & His Kenyan Publisher 138 21 Working with Ngũgĩ 144 22 Recollections of Mũtiiri 148 Part IV The Writer, the Critic & the World 154 23 Bricklayer & Architect of a World to Come 156 24 Revisioning Goethe’s Idea of ‘World Literature’ [Commendation Address On the Awarding of the Dr. Phil. h.c. (Honorary Doctor of Letters) to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, University of Bayreuth, Germany, April 2014] 158 25 Globalectics: Beyond Postcoloniality, & Engaging the Caribbean 166 26 Ngũgĩ & the Quest for a Linguistic Paradigm Shift: Some Reflections 173 27 Autobiographical Prototypes in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Early Fiction & Drama 179 28 Homecoming: The Idea of Return in the Works of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o 186 29 Gũcookia Rũĩ Mũkaro 191 30 Muthoni’s Afterlives 195 Part V The Other Ngũgĩ 204 31 Kwa Grant Kamenju: Hotuba ya Kuipokea Digrii ya Heshima ya Uzamifu Kutoka Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam 206 32 Wasomi, Lugha za Ulaya na za Kiafrika: Kati ya Kuweza na Kuwezwa 209 33 Asia in My Life 217 34 Ndaĩ ya Wendo (A Riddle of Love) 223 Appendixes 226 A Review of Wizard of the Crow: Ngũgĩ’s Homecoming Gift to Kenyans 228 B Directing the River Back to its Course 231 C For Grant Kamenju 235 D Intellectuals, European & African Languages: Between Enslavement & Empowerment 237 E A Riddle of Love 244 References 246 Bibliography of Ngũgĩ’s Primary Works 248 Works Cited 250 Notes on Contributors 254 Index 259 First-hand accounts of how Ngugi wa Thiong'o's life and work have intersected, and the multiple forces that have converged to make him one of the greatest writers to come out of Africa in the twentieth century.This collection of essays reflects on the life and work of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who celebrated his 80th birthday in 2018. Drawing from a wide range of contributors, including writers, critics, publishers and activists, the volume traces the emergence of Ngugi as a novelist in the early 1960s, his contribution to the African culture of letters at its moment of inception, and his global artistic life in the twenty-first century. Here we have both personal andcritical reflections on the different phases of the writer's life: there are poems from friends and admirers, commentaries from his co-workers in public theatre in Kenya in the 1970s and 1980s, and from his political associates in the fight for democracy, and contributions on his role as an intellectual of decolonization, as well as his experiences in the global art world. Included also are essays on Ngugi's role outside the academy, in the world of education, community theatre, and activism. In addition to tributes from other authors who were influenced by Ngugi, the collection contains hitherto unknown materials that are appearing in English for the first time. Both a celebration of the writer, and a rethinking of his legacy, this book brings together three generations of Ngugi readers. We have memories and recollections from the people he worked with closely in the 1960s, the students that he taught atthe University of Nairobi in the 1970s, his political associates during his exile in the 1980s, and the people who worked with him as he embarked on a new life and career in the United States in the 1990s. First-hand accounts reveal how Ngugi's life and work have intersected, and the multiple forces that have converged to make him one of the greatest writers to come out of Africa in the twentieth century. Simon Gikandi is Robert Schirmer Professor of English, Princeton University. He is President of the MLA and was editor of its journal PMLA, from 2011-2016. Ndirangu Wachanga is Professor of Media Studies and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin. He is also the authorized documentary biographer of Professors Ali A. Mazrui, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Micere Mugo. First-hand accounts of how Ngugi wa Thiong'o's life and work have intersected, and the multiple forces that have converged to make him one of the greatest writers to come out of Africa in the twentieth century. This collection of essays reflects on the life and work of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who celebrated his 80th birthday in 2018. Drawing from a wide range of contributors, including writers, critics, publishers and activists, the volume traces the emergence of Ngugi as a novelist in the early 1960s, his contribution to the African culture of letters at its moment of inception, and his global artistic life in the twenty-first century. Here we have both personal andcritical reflections on the different phases of the writer's there are poems from friends and admirers, commentaries from his co-workers in public theatre in Kenya in the 1970s and 1980s, and from his political associates in the fight for democracy, and contributions on his role as an intellectual of decolonization, as well as his experiences in the global art world. Included also are essays on Ngugi's role outside the academy, in the world of education, community theatre, and activism. In addition to tributes from other authors who were influenced by Ngugi, the collection contains hitherto unknown materials that are appearing in English for the first time. Both a celebration of the writer, and a rethinking of his legacy, this book brings together three generations of Ngugi readers. We have memories and recollections from the people he worked with closely in the 1960s, the students that he taught atthe University of Nairobi in the 1970s, his political associates during his exile in the 1980s, and the people who worked with him as he embarked on a new life and career in the United States in the 1990s. First-hand accounts reveal how Ngugi's life and work have intersected, and the multiple forces that have converged to make him one of the greatest writers to come out of Africa in the twentieth century. Simon Gikandi is Robert Schirmer Professor of English, Princeton University. He is President of the MLA and was editor of its journal PMLA, from 2011-2016. Ndirangu Wachanga is Professor of Media Studies and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin. He is also the authorized documentary biographer of Professors Ali A. Mazrui, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Micere Mugo.