Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Gender, and the Ethics of Postcolonial Reading

Nicholls (English, University of Leeds) considers the evolution of the work of male Gikuyu author Ngugi wa Thiong'o in terms of the women he presents. Nicholls feels that in the early books women appeared as symbols of colonial oppression, a landscape fought over by men. In later books, the practice of female circumcision becomes a metaphor for the triumph of Gikuyu national customs and the rise of the post-colonial state, from which women are still excluded. As Nicholls follows Ngugi's metamorphosis to his most recent book, he notes the change in the author's political views and in his female characters. They go from being voiceless representations of concepts to genuine characters who interact with men on an equal basis. This is both a literary history and a discussion of how Ngugi's novels are inseparable from the history of Kenya. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Brendon Nicholls is a Lecturer in African and Postcolonial Literatures in the School of English, University of Leeds. He was Deputy Co-Director of the Institute for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies.