Devil on the Cross

The great Kenyan writer and Nobel Prize nominee’s novel that he wrote in secret, on toilet paper, while in prison--featuring an introduction by Namwali Serpell, the author of the novel The Old Drift One of the cornerstones of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s fame, Devil on the Cross is a powerful fictional critique of capitalism. It tells the tragic story of Wariinga, a young woman who moves from a rural Kenyan town to the capital, Nairobi, only to be exploited by her boss and later by a corrupt businessman. As she struggles to survive, Wariinga begins to realize that her problems are only symptoms of a larger societal malaise and that much of the misfortune stems from the Western, capitalist influences on her country. An impassioned cry for a Kenya free of dictatorship and for African writers to work in their own local dialects, Devil on the Cross has had a profound influence on Africa and on post-colonial African literature. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Summary

Wariinga, a young woman who moves from a Kenyan town to the capital, Nairobi, only to be exploited by her boss and later a corrupt businessman. As Wariinga struggles to survive, she realizes that her problems are only symptoms of a larger societal malaise and that much of the misfortune stems from the Western, capitalist influences on her country.

Product details

• Authors: Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong&apos, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, O, Namwali Serpell, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Ngugi Wa Thiong'O
• Assisted by: Chinua Achebe (Editor), Namwali Serpell (Introduction), Chinua Achebe (Editor of the series)
• Publisher: Penguin Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 11.04.2017
• EAN: 9780143107361
• ISBN: 978-0-14-310736-1
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 195 mm x 13 mm
• Series: Penguin Classics; Penguin African Writers Series; Penguin Classics; Penguin African Writers Series
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Africa, Ngugi wa Thiong'o; Devil on the Cross, Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary