Synopsis
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.
At a glance:
• Author: Ngugi wa Thiong'o • First Published: 1967 • Type of Work: Novel • Type of Plot: Social realism • Setting: Kenya • Characters: Mugo, Gikonyo, Kihika, Karanja, Mumbi, Thomas Robson, John Thompson • Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Novel • Subjects: 1950's, Africa or Africans, Revolutionaries, Blacks, Colonies or