Postcolonialism in the Wake of the Nairobi Revolution - Ngugi wa Thiong’o and the Idea of African Literature

Sep 26, 2026

Postcolonialism in the Wake of the Nairobi Revolution examines Ngugi wa Thiong’o and develops an account of African literature through the lens of the Nairobi Revolution. The book frames an argument about postcolonial intellectual consciousness and then traces how school culture appears across early and later fictions, linking novels such as The River Between, Weep Not, Child, Petals of Blood, and Devil on the Cross. It further analyzes Ngugi’s plays as theaters of national imaging, concluding with an interpretation that moves between irony and tragedy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages217

Reading Time5 h 34 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Pitfalls of Postcolonial Intellectual Consciousness: African Literature in the Wake of the Nairobi Revolution

1 Early Fictions of School Culture: The River Between and Weep Not, Child

2 Later Fictions of School Culture: Petals of Blood and Devil on the Cross

3 The Theaters of School Culture: Imaging the Nation in Ngugi’s Plays

Conclusion: Between Irony and Tragedy: Cheikh Hamidou Kane’s Ambiguous Adventure in Ambiguous Adventure

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Postcolonialism in the Wake of the Nairobi Revolution This page intentionally left blank Postcolonialism in the Wake of the Nairobi Revolution Ngugi wa Thiong’o and the Idea of African Literature Apollo Obony o Amoko POSTCOLONIALISM IN THE WAKE OF THE NAIROBI REVOLUTION Copyright © Apollo Obonyo Amoko, 2010 . All rights reserved. First published in 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States-a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 . Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest ofthe World, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN: 978–0–230–10546–1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Amoko, Apollo Obonyo. Postcolonialism in the wake of the Nairobi revolution: Ngugi wa Thiong’o and the idea of African literature/by Apollo Obonyo Amoko. [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978–0–230–10546–1 (alk. paper) 1. Ngugi wa Thiong’o, 1938—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Ngugi wa Thiong’o, 1938—Inﬂuence. 3. African literature— 20th century—History and criticism. 4. Nationalism and literature—Africa. 5. Postcolonialism—Africa. 6. Postcolonialism in literature. 7. Africa—In literature. 8. Kenya—In literature. I. Title. PR9381.9.N45Z49 2010 823􀀂 .914—dc22 2010008771 Design by Integra Software Services First edition: October 2010 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. To my parents, Stephen Obonyo Amoko and Mary Awino Obonyo. In memoriam Lemuel A. Johnson. This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Pitfalls of Postcolonial Intellectual Consciousness: African Literature in the Wake of the Nairobi Revolution 1 1 Early Fictions of School Culture: The River Between and Weep Not, Child 29 2 Later Fictions of School Culture: Petals of Blood and Devil on the Cross 67 3 The Theaters of School Culture: Imaging the Nation in Ngugi’s Plays 109 Conclusion: Between Irony and Tragedy: Cheikh Hamidou Kane’s Ambiguous Adventure in Ambiguous Adventure 159 Notes 179 Bibliography 191 Index 197 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments To my mentor, Simon Gikandi. To my other mentor, F. Abiola Irele. To Nancy Rose Hunt, David William Cohen, Ifeoma Nwankwo, and Mamadou Diouf. To Carroll Smith Rosenberg. To Leah Rosenberg. For extraordinary support in the face of a continuing medical crisis, to the Department of English at the University of Florida, in particular my colleagues John Leavey, Pamela Gilbert, Phil Wegner, and Malini Schueller. To colleagues at the Center for African Studies, in particular Leo Villalón, Todd Leedy, and Luise White. To Kennie Lyman and Kiren Michael Valjee. To Ngugi wa Thiong’o. To Gichingiri Ndigirigi, Joseph Mbele, James Ogude, and Carol and Marvin Sicherman. To the following scholars and artists in Kenya: Mohammed Abdulaziz, Kavetsa Adagala, Peter Amuka, Francis Imbuga, Arthur Luvai, Stephen Mwenesi, Godfrey Muriuki, Oby Obyerodhiambo, Waveney Olembo, and Wasambo Were. To my sisters, Apelles A. Obonyo and Esther A. Obonyo. To Stephen Slemon and Lily Cho. To the following scholars and artists in Uganda: Austin Bukenya, Okot Benge, Susan Kiguli, Abasi Kiyimba, Katebalirwe Amooti wa Irumba, Timothy Wangusa, and Robert Serumaga. To Elias Jengo, Adam Korogoto, and Amandina Lihamba of the University of Dar es Salaam. Finally, a personal tribute to Lemuel A. Johnson, a committee member who passed away on March 12, 2002, weeks prior to the completion of my doctoral studies at the University of Michigan. Lem r

FAQs

What is the central focus of the book?

The book centers on postcolonialism and the way African literature is shaped in the wake of the Nairobi Revolution, focusing particularly on Ngugi wa Thiong’o and the idea of African literature.

Which works are discussed in the early school-culture chapters?

The early school-culture chapters discuss The River Between and Weep Not, Child as examples of how school culture takes form in fiction.

How does the book conclude?

The conclusion frames interpretation between irony and tragedy through Cheikh Hamidou Kane’s Ambiguous Adventure, presenting an assessment of ambiguity in a literary adventure.

Sep 26, 2026

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