A Grain of Wheat (Penguin Modern Classics)
A Grain of Wheat is a multi-voiced novel set in a Kenyan village on the eve of independence, exploring betrayal, atonement, and collective memory. It intertwines liberation from colonial rule with the weight of individual choice and stands as a key work of African liberation literature.
作品情報
Betrayal and atonement meet in Kenya on the eve of independence.
By layering the motives and silences of village life, the novel shows how the historical turn toward independence is etched into individual lives.
書籍情報
- 出版社
- Penguin Classics
- 発売日
- 2002-02-07
- ページ数
- 272ページ
- 言語
- 英語
- サイズ
- 19.8 x 1.6 x 12.9 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780141186993
- ISBN-10
- 0141186992
- 価格
- 2550 JPY
- カテゴリ
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Literary
A masterly story of myth, rebellion, love, friendship and betrayal from one of Africa's great writers, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's A Grain of Wheat includes an introduction by Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of By the Sea , in Penguin Modern Classics. It is 1963 and Kenya is on the verge of Uhuru - Independence Day. The mighty british government has been toppled, and in the lull between the fighting and the new world, colonized and colonizer alike reflect on what they have gained and lost. In the village of Thabai, the men and women who live there have been transformed irrevocably by the uprising. Kihika, legendary rebel leader, was fatally betrayed to the whiteman. Gikonyo's marriage to the beautiful Mumbi was destroyed when he was imprisoned, while her life has been shattered in other ways. And Mugo, brave survivor of the camps and now a village hero, harbours a terrible secret. As events unfold, compromises are forced, friendships are betrayed and loves are tested. Kenyan novelist and playwright Ngugi wa Thiong'o is the author of Weep Not Child (1964), The River Between (1965), and Petals of Blood (1977). Ngugi was chair of the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi from 1972 to 1977. He left Kenya in 1982 and taught at various universities in the United States before he became professor of comparative literature and performance studies at New York University in 1992. If you enjoyed A Grain of Wheat , you might like Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart , also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'With Ngugi history is a living tissue ... this book adds cubits to his already considerable stature' Guardian
Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1938-2025) was born in Limuru, Kenya, and went on to become one of the leading writers and scholars of our times. He authored numerous works of fiction, memoir and essay, including A Grain of Wheat, Devil on the Cross and Decolonizing the Mind . Ngugi was the Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine; he held fourteen honorary doctorates, among other awards, and was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.
レビュー
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A revealing story
Centered on the pre-Independence Kenyan struggle between the Mau Mau liberation fighters and the British colonial government, A GRAIN OF WHEAT gives a portrayal of the struggle that few writers have ever depicted. One gets a good picture of the Mau Mau fighters, the attitude of the Colonialists, their the detention camps, the nature of the war, the bloody encounters, the ruthlessness of some of the soldiers of Colonial army and the direction to independence for the African continent. Betrayal, hopes and dreams, horrors and loss are all parts of the story. Like TRIPLE AGENT DOUBLE CROSS, WHEN VICTIMS BECOME KILLERS, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, KING LEOPOLD’S GHOST, we learn that the tragic nature of this story reveals the futility of conflicts which in the end produces no winners, because humanity loses when the majority of the people emerge from a war scarred for life, having lost the innocence that epitomizes the freedom of the soul.
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excellent état du livre
j'ai reçu le livre trés rapidement il est en excellent état. je ne l'ai pas encore lu, mais il va me servir pour mes cours de littérature anglophone
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A good book
Not much is known about African people. This book tells in detail about Kenyan people, their life and struggles in a most effective way.
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Good read
Well written. Providing insights into life in Kenya during the 1960's and the process of independence. If you are interested in a good read and history then a very worthwhile book.
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A Grain of Wheat
A great book to read. Lots of history behind it. Loved the way Mr. Thiong'o has written this story.
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A great novel on decolonialization
Set at the dawn of Kenya's independence, this classic of postcolonial literature gives a multi-perspective insight in the conflicts connected to the freedom struggle. A very good and moving read.
関連する文学賞
- Park Kyong-ni Prize 第6回（2016年） ・Winner