Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas

A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book

Brilliant thoughts on modern African literature and postcolonial literary criticism from one of the giants of contemporary letters

"One of the greatest writers of our time." --Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, bestselling author


Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was a towering figure in African literature, and his novels A Grain of Wheat; Weep Not, Child; and Petals of Blood are modern classics. Emerging from a literary scene that flourished in the 1950s and '60s during the last years of colonialism in Africa, he became known not just as a novelist--one who, in the late '70s, famously stopped writing novels in English and turned to the language he grew up speaking, Gĩkũyũ--but as a major postcolonial theorist.

In Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas, Ngũgĩ gives us a series of essays that build on the revolutionary ideas about language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity that he set out in his earlier work--illuminating the intrinsic importance of keeping intact and honoring these native languages throughout time.

Intricate and deeply nuanced, this collection examines the enduring power of African languages in resisting both the psychic and material impacts of colonialism, past and present. These themes are elucidated through chapters on some contemporaries of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, including Chinua Achebe, Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo, and Wole Soyinka--each offering a distinct lens on the liberatory potential of language.

A brave call for discourse and immensely relevant to our present moment, Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas works both as a wonderful introduction to the enduring themes of Ngũgĩ's work as well as a vital addition to the library of the world's greatest and most provocative writers.

Über den Autor / die Autorin

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (1938-2025) was a leading Kenyan author and academic. He is the author of A Grain of Wheat; Weep Not, Child; and Petals of Blood, as well as Birth of a Dream Weaver, Wrestling with the Devil, Minutes of Glory, and The Perfect Nine (all from The New Press). He was the recipient of twelve honorary doctorates, among other awards, and was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Ngugi wa Thiong'o
• Verlag: Ingram Publishers Services
• Inhalt: Buch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erscheinungsdatum: 19.06.2025
• Thema: Sozialwissenschaften, Recht,Wirtschaft > Politikwissenschaft > Politische Wissenschaft und Politische Bildung; Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik > Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft > Allgemeine und Vergleichende Sprachwissenschaft
• EAN: 9781620979327
• ISBN: 978-1-62097-932-7
• Anzahl Seiten: 224
• Themen: Classics, Essays, Literary Studies, Politics, Cultural Studies, Language, Human Rights, Chinua Achebe, PHILOSOPHY / Political, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism, PHILOSOPHY / Language, Africa, Philosophy, LITERARY CRITICISM / Subjects & Themes / Politics, Critique, Kenya, Criticism, Colonialism & imperialism, social and political philosophy, Colonialism, Wole Soyinka, Cultural Heritage, Multiculturalism, Politics and government, Colonialism and imperialism, Historical & comparative linguistics, Anthologies: general, Literary theory, Society and culture: general, Literary History, African Literature, Literature: history and criticism, Black writers, National liberation & independence, post-colonialism, Literary Criticism, Historical and comparative linguistics, Decolonisation and postcolonial studies, Social groups, communities and identities, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Cultural & Ethnic Studies / African Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Diversity & Multiculturalism, Anthologies, multicultural literature, literary classics, Politics of Language, Postcolonial Africa, Literature of Africa, British colonialism, African Literary Criticism, Diverse voices, black authors, Classic Essays, Literary collection, african writers, Language philosophy, literary critique, Black literary, African Independence, political essays, Literary Theory and Criticism, Racial Studies, 20th century classics, american colonialism, African Language, colonizing, Culture and language, native languages, 21st century classics, kenyan writers, african collection, classic literary criticism, african book, diverse essays, Mĩcere Mũgo, african novelist, ngũgĩ wa thiong o, african literary history, kenyan authors