In this original study of Ngugi wa Thiong'o's work, James Ogude analyzes one of Africa's most controversial and internationally renowned literary figures.Ogude argues that previous critiques of Ngugi have divorced him from historical and social contexts. Through the perspectives of history, ethnicity, and gender, Ogude examines Ngugi's representation of postcolonial Kenya. Ogude looks at Ngugi's entire novelistic output, including his major works, The River Between, A Grain of Wheat, Petals of Blood and Matigari. Ogude is also acutely aware of Ngugi's radical and also ambivalent attitude towards independence (Uhuru) and the manufacturing of nationhood. Ogude looks at the wider notion of the distinct boundaries between history and fiction which postcolonial literatures have sought to question.Ogude fuses this historical overview with an in-depth critique of Ngugi's use of characterization and allegory. Ogude investigates the difficulties of interweaving oral and written forms and how this affects an African author trying to reach both a universal and a local audience.

Ngugi is based at New York University.