{"id":79825,"date":"2016-10-13T22:47:46","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T20:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/tipped-to-win-nobel-literature-prize-kenyas-ngugi-misses-out-again-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2016-10-13T22:47:46","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T20:47:46","slug":"tipped-to-win-nobel-literature-prize-kenyas-ngugi-misses-out-again-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/tipped-to-win-nobel-literature-prize-kenyas-ngugi-misses-out-again-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Tipped to win Nobel literature prize, Kenya’s Ngugi misses out — again | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tipped to win Nobel literature prize, Kenya’s Ngugi misses out — again<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong'o shows his newly released book "Wizard of the Crow" during launch at a Nairobi bookshop.<\/span> Antony Njuguna\/Reuters<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o was the bookies\u2019 favourite for the second year to win the Nobel prize in literature. But singer songwriter Bob Dylan won it for creating \u201cnew poetic expressions within the great American song tradition\u201d. But, as Kenyan academic Peter Kimani tells The Conversation Africa\u2019s Julius Maina, this doesn\u2019t take the sheen off one of Africa\u2019s greatest living writers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Who is Ngugi wa Thiong\u2019o?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is regarded as one of Africa\u2019s greatest living writers. He grew up in what became known as Kenya\u2019s White Highlands at the height of British colonialism. Unsurprisingly, his writing examines the legacy of colonialism and the intricate relationships between locals seeking economic and cultural emancipation and the local elites serving as agents neo-colonisers.<\/p>\n

The great expectations for the new country, as captured in Ngugi\u2019s seminal play, The Black Hermit<\/em>, anticipated the disillusionment that followed. His fiction, from the foundational trilogy of Weep Not, Child<\/em>, The River Between<\/em> and A Grain of Wheat<\/em>, amplify those expectations, before the optimism gives way in Petals of Blood<\/em>, and is replaced by disillusionment.<\/p>\n

What sets Ngugi above and apart from the hundreds of other African writers?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

African fiction is fairly young. Ngugi stands in the continent\u2019s pantheon of writers who started writing when Africa\u2019s decolonisation gained momentum. In a certain sense, the writers were involved in constructing new narratives that would define their people. But Ngugi\u2019s recognition goes beyond his pioneering role: his writing resonates with many across Kenya and Africa. <\/p>\n

One could also recognise Ngugi\u2019s consistency at churning out high-quality stories about African\u2019s contemporary society. This he has done in a manner that illustrates his commitment to equality and social justice. <\/p>\n

He has done much more in scholarship. His treatise, Decolonising the Mind<\/em>, now a foundational text in post-colonial studies, illustrates his versatility. His ability to spin the yarns while commenting on the politics that goes into literary production of marginal literature is a very rare combination.<\/p>\n

Finally, one could talk about Ngugi\u2019s cultural and political activism. This precipitated his yearlong detention without trial in 1977. He attributes his detention to his rejection of English and embracing his Gikuyu language as his vehicle of expression.<\/p>\n

Which work or works best illustrate his thinking?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to pick a favourite from Ngugi\u2019s over two dozen texts. But there is concurrence among critics that A Grain of Wheat<\/em>, which was voted among Africa\u2019s best 100 novels at the turn of the last century, stands out for its stylistic experimentation and complexity of characters.<\/p>\n

Others consider the novel as the last signpost before Ngugi\u2019s work became overly political. For other critics, it\u2019s Wizard of the Crow<\/em> \u2013 which came out in 2004, after nearly two decades of waiting \u2013 that encapsulates Ngugi\u2019s creative finesse. It utilises many literary tropes, including magical realism, and addresses the politics of African development and the shenanigans by the political elite to maintain the status quo.<\/p>\n

What are Ngugi\u2019s lasting contributions to African literature?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without a doubt, Africa would be poorer without the efforts of Ngugi and other pioneering writers to tell the African story. He is also an important figure in post-colonial studies. His constant questioning of the privileging of the English language and culture in Kenya\u2019s national discourse saw him lead a movement that led to the scrapping of the Department of English at the University of Nairobi and replaced by the Department of Literature that placed African literature and its diasporas at the centre of scholarship.<\/p>\n

Ngugi is still active in writing and his latest offering is the third instalment of his memoir, Birth of a Dreamweaver<\/em> that looks back on his years at Makerere University in Uganda. This is the period when he published his novels, Weep Not, Child<\/em> and The River Between<\/em>, while still an undergraduate. Also at this time he wrote the play, The Black Hermit<\/em>, which was performed as part of Uganda\u2019s independence celebrations in 1962. <\/p>\n

His work has been translated into more than 30 world languages. <\/p>\n

Ngugi has appeared on the list of favourites to win the Literature Nobel for a number of years. This was yet another year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes indeed, Ngugi has been among the bookies\u2019 favourite for the past couple of years. But since the workings of the Nobel award committee remain secret \u2014- the list of the committee\u2019s deliberations are kept secret for 50 years \u2014- its choice for this year, the American singer Bob Dylan raises interesting questions about the Nobel committee\u2019s interpretation of artistic production as writing. <\/p>\n

As one unimpressed pundit commented on Twitter, <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cthe idea that Dylan is a greater writer (rather than song versifier) than Philip Roth is, frankly, absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But author Salman Rushdie, who bookies listed among this year\u2019s possible winners, commented:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cFrom Orpheus to Faiz, song & poetry have been closely linked. Dylan is the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition. Great choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Peter Kimani ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne poss\u00e8de pas de parts, ne re\u00e7oit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 aucune autre affiliation que son poste universitaire.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong> The Conversation \u2013 Articles (AFRICA)<\/a><\/small>
\n<\/p>\n

Read more on The Conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Join the fun:<\/strong> Add Your event<\/a> | Submit a Press Release<\/a> | Add your listing<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tipped to win Nobel literature prize, Kenya’s Ngugi misses out — again: Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong'o shows his newly released book "Wizard of the Crow" during launch at a Nairobi bookshop. Antony Njuguna\/Reuters Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o was the bookies\u2019 favourite for the second year to win the Nobel prize in literature. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4584],"tags":[3818,8890,9595,14749,5118,20745,6863,5107,20744],"class_list":{"0":"post-79825","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-africa-news-2","7":"tag-again","8":"tag-conversation","9":"tag-kenyas","10":"tag-literature","11":"tag-misses","12":"tag-ngugi","13":"tag-nobel","14":"tag-prize","15":"tag-tipped","16":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}