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丨亘丞 賯賲丨
賰丕賳 丕爻賲賴 噩賷賲爻 兀賳睾賵噩賷. 丨囟乇 賲丐鬲賲乇丕賸 賰賳爻賷丕賸 賱丿賵賱 卮乇賯賷 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 毓購賯丿 賮賷 賳賷乇賵亘賷 賮賷 賲丕乇爻 1970 賯丕賱 賮賷賴 : 兀賳丕 賱爻鬲購 乇噩賱賻 賰賳賷爻丞貨 亘賱 廿賳賳賷 賱爻鬲 賲爻賷丨賷丕賸. 孬丕乇 毓賱賷賴 兀丨丿購 丕賱卮賷賵禺 賲賳 丕賱丨囟賵乇 賵兀賰賻賾丿 兀賳賻賾 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賲爻賷丨賷賹賾 毓賱賶 丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丕丿毓丕卅賴, 賵兀賳 兀爻賲賴 "噩賲賷爻" 賷丿賱 毓賱賶 匕賱賰. 賱賮鬲鬲 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賱丕丨馗丞 賳馗乇賻 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賵亘丿兀 賷鬲爻丕亍賱: 賱賲丕匕丕 賷爻鬲毓賷乇 丕賱兀賮丕乇賯丞購 兀爻賲丕亍賻賴賲 賵兀爻賲丕亍賻 賲丿賳賴賲 賵亘賱丿丕賳賴賲 賲賳 丕賱兀賵乇亘賷賷賳責
賮賷 匕賱賰 丕賱丨賷賳 兀毓賱賳賻 鬲睾賷賷乇賻 丕爻賲賴 丕賱兀賵乇亘賷 賵丕賱毓賵丿丞 廿賱賶 丕賱丕爻賲 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷 賳睾賵睾賵 賵丕孬賷賵賳睾賵. 賵賱賲 賷賰賳 丕賱鬲睾賷賷乇 賮賷 丕賱賵丕賯毓 卮賰賱賷丕賸. 賱賯丿 賳亘毓 賲賳 賮賰乇賽 賳睾賵睾賵 賵賲賳 賲亘丕丿卅賴 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丿毓賵 廿賱賶 廿丨賷丕亍 丕賱鬲乇丕孬 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 賵亘毓孬 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷丞 賮賷 賲賵丕噩賴丞 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱兀賵乇亘賷丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 毓賲賱鬲 賲丿丞 胤賵賷賱丞 毓賱賶 鬲禺乇賷亘 丕賱鬲賰賵賷賳 丕賱賳賮爻賷 賱賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 賵丕賯鬲賱丕毓 噩匕賵乇賴 賲賳 兀乇囟賴.
賮賷 毓賲賱賴 丕賱乇賵丕卅賷 禺賱賯 賳睾賵睾賷 賲賳 賯乇賷丞 (孬丕亘丕賷) 毓丕賱賲丕賸 賲氐睾乇丕賸 賱毓賲賵賲 賰賷賳賷丕 賲氐賵乇丕賸 賱賴丕 毓賱賶 兀賳賴丕 賲爻鬲毓賲乇丞 丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 丿丕乇鬲 賮賷 禺囟賲賴丕 丕賱鬲賮丕毓賱丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵鬲卮丕亘賰鬲 賲卮丕毓乇 丕賱賳丕爻 賵丕賳鬲賴鬲 亘丨賲賱 亘毓囟賴賲 賮賰乇丞 兀賳 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 賱丕 賷兀鬲賷 賳賷賱賴 廿賱丕 亘丕賱賳囟丕賱貙 賮賷賲丕 丌孬乇 丕賱亘毓囟 丕賱丨賷丕丿 賵丕賱毓賷卮 亘賲賳兀賶 毓賳 禺胤賵乇丞 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬. 賵丕賱亘毓囟 丕賱丌禺乇 賵噩丿 賮賷 丕賱賯丕丿賲 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 賲賱丕匕丕賸 賵賯賵丞 賷噩賳賷 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 丕賱鬲毓丕賵賳 賲毓賴丕 賲丕 賷亘睾賷 鬲丨賯賷賯賴 亘兀賷爻乇 爻亘賷賱 賵兀爻乇毓 賵賯鬲.
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘丕禺鬲氐丕乇 鬲丨賰賷 賯氐丞 賲毓乇賰丞 賰賷賳賷丕 賵廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 囟丿 丕賱賴賷賲賳丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷丞貙 賵乇睾賲 兀賳 賲毓馗賲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 禺賷丕賱賷丞貙 賮賱賲 賷噩丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賲賳丿賵丨丞 賲賳 匕賰乇 兀爻賲丕亍 兀賮丕乇賯丞 賲卮賴賵乇賷賳 兀賲孬丕賱: 丕賱夭毓賷賲 丕賱孬賵乇賷 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇 噩賵賲賵 賰賷賳賷丕孬丕 賵廿賷丕賰賷. 賰賲丕 賷爻乇丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賯氐丞 丕賱賮賱丕丨賷賳 丕賱賰賷賳賷賷賳 丕賱匕賷賳 丨丕乇亘賵丕 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷賷賳 孬賲 丕賰鬲卮賮賵丕 兀賳 賰賱 賲丕 丨丕乇亘賵丕 賲賳 兀噩賱賴 賯丿 賳丨賷 噩丕賳亘丕.
賴匕賴 賮乇氐丞 賱賱丕胤賱丕毓 毓賱賶 兀丿亘 毓丕賱賲賷 賲噩賴賵賱 賱丿賶 丕賱賯乇丕亍 丕賱毓乇亘貙 乇睾賲 鬲賵丕賮賯 丕賱賲卮賰賱丕鬲 賵賯乇亘 丕賱賲賰丕賳 賵丕鬲丨丕丿 丕賱賲氐賷乇 亘賷賳 丕賱兀賮丕乇賯丞 賵丕賱毓乇亘.
賱鬲丨賲賷賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賳 賴賳丕:
http://hotfile.com/dl/62237614/b81ea8...
賮賷 匕賱賰 丕賱丨賷賳 兀毓賱賳賻 鬲睾賷賷乇賻 丕爻賲賴 丕賱兀賵乇亘賷 賵丕賱毓賵丿丞 廿賱賶 丕賱丕爻賲 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷 賳睾賵睾賵 賵丕孬賷賵賳睾賵. 賵賱賲 賷賰賳 丕賱鬲睾賷賷乇 賮賷 丕賱賵丕賯毓 卮賰賱賷丕賸. 賱賯丿 賳亘毓 賲賳 賮賰乇賽 賳睾賵睾賵 賵賲賳 賲亘丕丿卅賴 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丿毓賵 廿賱賶 廿丨賷丕亍 丕賱鬲乇丕孬 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 賵亘毓孬 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷丞 賮賷 賲賵丕噩賴丞 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱兀賵乇亘賷丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 毓賲賱鬲 賲丿丞 胤賵賷賱丞 毓賱賶 鬲禺乇賷亘 丕賱鬲賰賵賷賳 丕賱賳賮爻賷 賱賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 賵丕賯鬲賱丕毓 噩匕賵乇賴 賲賳 兀乇囟賴.
賮賷 毓賲賱賴 丕賱乇賵丕卅賷 禺賱賯 賳睾賵睾賷 賲賳 賯乇賷丞 (孬丕亘丕賷) 毓丕賱賲丕賸 賲氐睾乇丕賸 賱毓賲賵賲 賰賷賳賷丕 賲氐賵乇丕賸 賱賴丕 毓賱賶 兀賳賴丕 賲爻鬲毓賲乇丞 丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 丿丕乇鬲 賮賷 禺囟賲賴丕 丕賱鬲賮丕毓賱丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵鬲卮丕亘賰鬲 賲卮丕毓乇 丕賱賳丕爻 賵丕賳鬲賴鬲 亘丨賲賱 亘毓囟賴賲 賮賰乇丞 兀賳 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 賱丕 賷兀鬲賷 賳賷賱賴 廿賱丕 亘丕賱賳囟丕賱貙 賮賷賲丕 丌孬乇 丕賱亘毓囟 丕賱丨賷丕丿 賵丕賱毓賷卮 亘賲賳兀賶 毓賳 禺胤賵乇丞 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬. 賵丕賱亘毓囟 丕賱丌禺乇 賵噩丿 賮賷 丕賱賯丕丿賲 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 賲賱丕匕丕賸 賵賯賵丞 賷噩賳賷 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 丕賱鬲毓丕賵賳 賲毓賴丕 賲丕 賷亘睾賷 鬲丨賯賷賯賴 亘兀賷爻乇 爻亘賷賱 賵兀爻乇毓 賵賯鬲.
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘丕禺鬲氐丕乇 鬲丨賰賷 賯氐丞 賲毓乇賰丞 賰賷賳賷丕 賵廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 囟丿 丕賱賴賷賲賳丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷丞貙 賵乇睾賲 兀賳 賲毓馗賲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 禺賷丕賱賷丞貙 賮賱賲 賷噩丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賲賳丿賵丨丞 賲賳 匕賰乇 兀爻賲丕亍 兀賮丕乇賯丞 賲卮賴賵乇賷賳 兀賲孬丕賱: 丕賱夭毓賷賲 丕賱孬賵乇賷 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇 噩賵賲賵 賰賷賳賷丕孬丕 賵廿賷丕賰賷. 賰賲丕 賷爻乇丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賯氐丞 丕賱賮賱丕丨賷賳 丕賱賰賷賳賷賷賳 丕賱匕賷賳 丨丕乇亘賵丕 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷賷賳 孬賲 丕賰鬲卮賮賵丕 兀賳 賰賱 賲丕 丨丕乇亘賵丕 賲賳 兀噩賱賴 賯丿 賳丨賷 噩丕賳亘丕.
賴匕賴 賮乇氐丞 賱賱丕胤賱丕毓 毓賱賶 兀丿亘 毓丕賱賲賷 賲噩賴賵賱 賱丿賶 丕賱賯乇丕亍 丕賱毓乇亘貙 乇睾賲 鬲賵丕賮賯 丕賱賲卮賰賱丕鬲 賵賯乇亘 丕賱賲賰丕賳 賵丕鬲丨丕丿 丕賱賲氐賷乇 亘賷賳 丕賱兀賮丕乇賯丞 賵丕賱毓乇亘.
賱鬲丨賲賷賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賳 賴賳丕:
http://hotfile.com/dl/62237614/b81ea8...
439 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Ng农g末 wa Thiong'o
109听books1,917听followersNg农g末 wa Thiong'o was a Kenyan author and academic, who was described as East Africa's leading novelist.
He began writing in English before later switching to write primarily in Gikuyu, becoming a strong advocate for literature written in native African languages. His works include the celebrated novel The River Between, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He was the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal M农t末iri. His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright was translated into more than 100 languages.
In 1977, Ng农g末 embarked upon a novel form of theatre in Kenya that sought to liberate the theatrical process from what he held to be "the general bourgeois education system", by encouraging spontaneity and audience participation in the performances. His project sought to "demystify" the theatrical process, and to avoid the "process of alienation [that] produces a gallery of active stars and an undifferentiated mass of grateful admirers" which, according to Ng农g末, encourages passivity in "ordinary people". Although his landmark play Ngaahika Ndeenda, co-written with Ng农g末 wa Mirii, was a commercial success, it was shut down by the authoritarian Kenyan regime six weeks after its opening.
Ng农g末 was subsequently imprisoned for more than a year. Adopted as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, he was released from prison and fled Kenya. He was appointed Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine. He previously taught at Northwestern University, Yale University, and New York University. Ng农g末 was frequently regarded as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He won the 2001 International Nonino Prize in Italy, and the 2016 Park Kyong-ni Prize. Among his children are authors M农koma wa Ng农g末 and Wanjiku wa Ng农g末.
He began writing in English before later switching to write primarily in Gikuyu, becoming a strong advocate for literature written in native African languages. His works include the celebrated novel The River Between, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He was the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal M农t末iri. His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright was translated into more than 100 languages.
In 1977, Ng农g末 embarked upon a novel form of theatre in Kenya that sought to liberate the theatrical process from what he held to be "the general bourgeois education system", by encouraging spontaneity and audience participation in the performances. His project sought to "demystify" the theatrical process, and to avoid the "process of alienation [that] produces a gallery of active stars and an undifferentiated mass of grateful admirers" which, according to Ng农g末, encourages passivity in "ordinary people". Although his landmark play Ngaahika Ndeenda, co-written with Ng农g末 wa Mirii, was a commercial success, it was shut down by the authoritarian Kenyan regime six weeks after its opening.
Ng农g末 was subsequently imprisoned for more than a year. Adopted as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, he was released from prison and fled Kenya. He was appointed Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine. He previously taught at Northwestern University, Yale University, and New York University. Ng农g末 was frequently regarded as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He won the 2001 International Nonino Prize in Italy, and the 2016 Park Kyong-ni Prize. Among his children are authors M农koma wa Ng农g末 and Wanjiku wa Ng农g末.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 578 reviews
February 19, 2019
This is not an easy book. It's awful and unsettling in so many ways.
I think that for me, the book is not about Uhuru/Kenyan independence, or even the fight for it. For me, the book is mostly about the horrific effects of colonialism on the people, not just the Africans, but mostly the Africans, but also the effects, in glimpses, of the African culture on the African people. (Or, rather, was that the traditional African culture, or how it became under the brutalization that was normalized under colonization?)
"Colonial" sounds almost pretty to an American in the 21st century. What colonialism was, was not pretty. Not by a long shot. It was brutal, in-humanizing, horrific, awful ... just a system of hollowing out whatever wealth was to be had, by whatever means, from whatever piece of ground was 'colonized'.
I wish I had known to pay attention to the characters in the beginning, and to realize that they'd reappear in very different incarnations later in the novel. What "The Emergency" (a dozen years of basically martial law - also known as the Mau Mau Uprising, or the Mau Mau Rebellion, or the Mau Mau Revolt - preceding Uhuru/Independence) did to the various characters in the novel, the ways in which it changed those that survived, is raw. Those who died, those who were sent to concentration/detention camps, those who ran from the villages to the forest to fight - to become freedom fighters, terrorists, a defending army, all of those things -, those who became turncoats - brutalizing in turn former peers -, those who were the authority ... everyone, everyone is affected.
Still hard to rate. As I began the novel, it didn't seem special. A one-star, a two? Past the halfway mark it was a five-star, at the end, I don't know.
It's not a fluffy or gentle read, that's for sure.
I think that for me, the book is not about Uhuru/Kenyan independence, or even the fight for it. For me, the book is mostly about the horrific effects of colonialism on the people, not just the Africans, but mostly the Africans, but also the effects, in glimpses, of the African culture on the African people. (Or, rather, was that the traditional African culture, or how it became under the brutalization that was normalized under colonization?)
"Colonial" sounds almost pretty to an American in the 21st century. What colonialism was, was not pretty. Not by a long shot. It was brutal, in-humanizing, horrific, awful ... just a system of hollowing out whatever wealth was to be had, by whatever means, from whatever piece of ground was 'colonized'.
I wish I had known to pay attention to the characters in the beginning, and to realize that they'd reappear in very different incarnations later in the novel. What "The Emergency" (a dozen years of basically martial law - also known as the Mau Mau Uprising, or the Mau Mau Rebellion, or the Mau Mau Revolt - preceding Uhuru/Independence) did to the various characters in the novel, the ways in which it changed those that survived, is raw. Those who died, those who were sent to concentration/detention camps, those who ran from the villages to the forest to fight - to become freedom fighters, terrorists, a defending army, all of those things -, those who became turncoats - brutalizing in turn former peers -, those who were the authority ... everyone, everyone is affected.
Still hard to rate. As I began the novel, it didn't seem special. A one-star, a two? Past the halfway mark it was a five-star, at the end, I don't know.
It's not a fluffy or gentle read, that's for sure.
Read
October 5, 20205/10/20
Really good! Only it was hard to get through, because of the organisation of Fortnight Frights.
12/9/20
Reading this now with my Patreon book club :).
You can find me on
| | | | |
Really good! Only it was hard to get through, because of the organisation of Fortnight Frights.
12/9/20
Reading this now with my Patreon book club :).
You can find me on
| | | | |
May 29, 2020
I have been wanting to read more of Ng农g末's work since reading his late magic realist epic a couple of years ago. I have also read , but that was before I was reviewing anything. This book, which dates from fairly early in his career in 1967 but was revised in 1986, is a much straighter narrative and is no less powerful. It is something of a slow burner, as the scene setting and establishment of the main characters is a little slow, but much of the second half is riveting and very moving.
The setting is in Kenya, in the lead-up to and immediately after its independence (Uhuru) in 1963. The way Ng农g末 sets up his tangled web of personal loyalties and betrayals is masterful, even if few of the characters emerge unstained.
The setting is in Kenya, in the lead-up to and immediately after its independence (Uhuru) in 1963. The way Ng农g末 sets up his tangled web of personal loyalties and betrayals is masterful, even if few of the characters emerge unstained.
June 28, 2018
Ge莽 kalm谋艧 bir kitapla kar艧谋 kar艧谋yay谋z ve bu gecikme elbette Afrika鈥檔谋n, kitap 枚zelinde Kenya鈥檔谋n ge莽 ulusla艧mas谋 ile do臒ru orant谋l谋. Yazar da bu ge莽 kalm谋艧l谋臒谋n fark谋nda ama kader olan co臒rafyadan kurtulu艧 yok.
Bir Bu臒day Tanesi, tarihsel olarak Kenya ulusal kurtulu艧 m眉cadelesinin en hararetli ve nihayetinde ba臒谋ms谋zl谋kla sonu莽lanan 1922 鈥� 1963 y谋llar谋 aras谋n谋 kapsayan bir d枚nemde ge莽iyor. Karakterlerin an谋lar谋 眉zerinden ge莽mi艧 isyanlar hat谋rlansa da zaman aral谋臒谋n谋 陌ngiliz s枚m眉rgecilerin Ohal ilan etti臒i 50鈥檒er ve ba臒谋ms谋zl谋臒谋n ilk g眉nleri ile s谋n谋rlayabiliriz. Ba艧 karakterlerimiz bu aral谋kta ya艧谋yor, eyleme ge莽iyor, ya zafer ya 枚l眉m ya da ihanete bula艧谋yor.
Ge莽 kalm谋艧l谋臒谋n iki yan谋 var; kitap Kenya鈥檔谋n ba臒谋ms谋zl谋臒谋n谋 kazanmas谋ndan 4 y谋l sonra, erken bir tarihte yaz谋l谋yor. Ancak yazar谋n hakl谋 olarak dert edindi臒i meseler; isyan, kahramanl谋k, direni艧, ihanet, s枚m眉rgecilik ve kazan谋lan zafer, tercih etti臒i bi莽im ve roman formunda onlarca kez anlat谋lm谋艧, yetkin 枚rnekleri 19. Y眉zy谋l ve 20. Y眉zy谋l谋n hemen ba艧lar谋nda toplumsal ger莽ek莽i edebiyat konu olmu艧 durumlar. Yazar, kendi ki艧isel tarihinde temel olan bu d枚nemi anlatmak isterken bu ge莽 kalm谋艧l谋臒谋n kendi de fark谋nda ve kurgu i莽inde bunu a艧maya 莽al谋艧m谋艧, ne kadar becerdi臒i ise tart谋艧谋l谋r. 陌kinci yan谋 ise 1967鈥檇e yaz谋lan bu roman谋n 2013 gibi ge莽 bir tarihte bize ula艧mas谋. Bunlar谋 anlatman谋n ne gere臒i var demiyorum elbette, sonu莽ta yazar kitapta ge莽en Mau Mau isyan谋nda ailesini ve dostlar谋n谋 yitirmi艧 ve zaten her ulusun bizim i莽in olmasa da kendisi i莽in bir kurucu anlat谋ya ihtiyac谋 var. O zaman 艧枚yle diyelim, ge莽 kald谋臒谋n谋n fark谋nda olan bir yazar谋n anlatmak zorunda oldu臒u bir kitap bu. Zorunlulu臒a sayg谋 duyuyorum ama dili ve tercih etti臒i bi莽im benim edebi zevklerimle pek uyu艧muyor bunu da s枚ylemeden ge莽meyeyim. Yine de pozitif ayr谋mc谋l谋k yaparak herkese 枚nerece臒im, Kenya鈥檇an 莽谋km谋艧 ka莽 yazarla tan谋艧acaks谋n谋z ki bu fani d眉nyada.
Bir de 艧uraya vurgu yap谋p bitireyim; kitap ba臒谋ms谋zl谋k kutlamas谋 ve b枚lge halk谋n谋n direni艧 kahraman谋 Kihika鈥檡谋 anmak i莽in yap谋lacak bir toplant谋ya 艧ehidin 艧ahidi Mugo鈥檔un konu艧ma yapmak i莽in hareket taraf谋ndan 莽a臒r谋lmas谋 ile ba艧lar. Mugo yerel dilde kahin- peygamber anlam谋na gelmektedir, kitap i莽inde g枚r眉r眉z ki b枚lge halk谋 da ona ve ge莽mi艧ine mistik bir paye bi莽mektedir, malum kitleler her zaman kahraman- kurtar谋c谋 beklemektedir. Yazar burada kendisi adeta bir kehanette bulunur, Kahraman isteyenler hainle kar艧谋la艧acak, Kenya鈥檔谋n ba臒谋ms谋zl谋臒谋 en ba艧tan ihanetle g枚lgelenecektir. B眉t眉n Afrika kurtulu艧 m眉cadeleleri ve geldikleri nokta d眉艧眉n眉l眉nce yazar谋n bu okumas谋na 艧apka 莽谋karmamak elde de臒il. Bir 艧apka da Mumbi ( s枚ylencelerdeki sembolik anne) karakteri 眉zerinden kad谋na verdi臒i de臒er i莽in 莽谋kartal谋m.
Sonu莽 olarak; ne i艧inize yarayacak bilmiyorum ama Franz Fanon okumadan 枚lmeyin.
Bir Bu臒day Tanesi, tarihsel olarak Kenya ulusal kurtulu艧 m眉cadelesinin en hararetli ve nihayetinde ba臒谋ms谋zl谋kla sonu莽lanan 1922 鈥� 1963 y谋llar谋 aras谋n谋 kapsayan bir d枚nemde ge莽iyor. Karakterlerin an谋lar谋 眉zerinden ge莽mi艧 isyanlar hat谋rlansa da zaman aral谋臒谋n谋 陌ngiliz s枚m眉rgecilerin Ohal ilan etti臒i 50鈥檒er ve ba臒谋ms谋zl谋臒谋n ilk g眉nleri ile s谋n谋rlayabiliriz. Ba艧 karakterlerimiz bu aral谋kta ya艧谋yor, eyleme ge莽iyor, ya zafer ya 枚l眉m ya da ihanete bula艧谋yor.
Ge莽 kalm谋艧l谋臒谋n iki yan谋 var; kitap Kenya鈥檔谋n ba臒谋ms谋zl谋臒谋n谋 kazanmas谋ndan 4 y谋l sonra, erken bir tarihte yaz谋l谋yor. Ancak yazar谋n hakl谋 olarak dert edindi臒i meseler; isyan, kahramanl谋k, direni艧, ihanet, s枚m眉rgecilik ve kazan谋lan zafer, tercih etti臒i bi莽im ve roman formunda onlarca kez anlat谋lm谋艧, yetkin 枚rnekleri 19. Y眉zy谋l ve 20. Y眉zy谋l谋n hemen ba艧lar谋nda toplumsal ger莽ek莽i edebiyat konu olmu艧 durumlar. Yazar, kendi ki艧isel tarihinde temel olan bu d枚nemi anlatmak isterken bu ge莽 kalm谋艧l谋臒谋n kendi de fark谋nda ve kurgu i莽inde bunu a艧maya 莽al谋艧m谋艧, ne kadar becerdi臒i ise tart谋艧谋l谋r. 陌kinci yan谋 ise 1967鈥檇e yaz谋lan bu roman谋n 2013 gibi ge莽 bir tarihte bize ula艧mas谋. Bunlar谋 anlatman谋n ne gere臒i var demiyorum elbette, sonu莽ta yazar kitapta ge莽en Mau Mau isyan谋nda ailesini ve dostlar谋n谋 yitirmi艧 ve zaten her ulusun bizim i莽in olmasa da kendisi i莽in bir kurucu anlat谋ya ihtiyac谋 var. O zaman 艧枚yle diyelim, ge莽 kald谋臒谋n谋n fark谋nda olan bir yazar谋n anlatmak zorunda oldu臒u bir kitap bu. Zorunlulu臒a sayg谋 duyuyorum ama dili ve tercih etti臒i bi莽im benim edebi zevklerimle pek uyu艧muyor bunu da s枚ylemeden ge莽meyeyim. Yine de pozitif ayr谋mc谋l谋k yaparak herkese 枚nerece臒im, Kenya鈥檇an 莽谋km谋艧 ka莽 yazarla tan谋艧acaks谋n谋z ki bu fani d眉nyada.
Bir de 艧uraya vurgu yap谋p bitireyim; kitap ba臒谋ms谋zl谋k kutlamas谋 ve b枚lge halk谋n谋n direni艧 kahraman谋 Kihika鈥檡谋 anmak i莽in yap谋lacak bir toplant谋ya 艧ehidin 艧ahidi Mugo鈥檔un konu艧ma yapmak i莽in hareket taraf谋ndan 莽a臒r谋lmas谋 ile ba艧lar. Mugo yerel dilde kahin- peygamber anlam谋na gelmektedir, kitap i莽inde g枚r眉r眉z ki b枚lge halk谋 da ona ve ge莽mi艧ine mistik bir paye bi莽mektedir, malum kitleler her zaman kahraman- kurtar谋c谋 beklemektedir. Yazar burada kendisi adeta bir kehanette bulunur, Kahraman isteyenler hainle kar艧谋la艧acak, Kenya鈥檔谋n ba臒谋ms谋zl谋臒谋 en ba艧tan ihanetle g枚lgelenecektir. B眉t眉n Afrika kurtulu艧 m眉cadeleleri ve geldikleri nokta d眉艧眉n眉l眉nce yazar谋n bu okumas谋na 艧apka 莽谋karmamak elde de臒il. Bir 艧apka da Mumbi ( s枚ylencelerdeki sembolik anne) karakteri 眉zerinden kad谋na verdi臒i de臒er i莽in 莽谋kartal谋m.
Sonu莽 olarak; ne i艧inize yarayacak bilmiyorum ama Franz Fanon okumadan 枚lmeyin.
January 28, 2014
A Grain of Wheat centres a political narrative about the struggle for independence and liberation in Kenya; about rebellion against British imperialism, and on this level it is searing, laying bare the injustice from the point of view of a richly varied cast of rural Kenyan people. Ngugi draws on Conrad to nuance the idealistic, but cold and inhuman character of the white DO, Thompson. He gives space to the character of each of the people in the village, revealing their motives in all their ambiguity and mystery.
The book shifts its tone from the magnified detail of the psychological novel to the broader framing of folk-anecdote and the rhythmic transmission of oral tradition, addressing the reader as an unidentified 'I', encompassing the village and sinking, a polymorphous identity, into the crowd. This innovative fluidity is refreshing to my spirit and allows an unusually rich and multifaceted emotional resonance to build. Often phlegmatic, the narrative gathers force and power as it patiently traces each person's tributary of recall to the communal estuary.
The book shifts its tone from the magnified detail of the psychological novel to the broader framing of folk-anecdote and the rhythmic transmission of oral tradition, addressing the reader as an unidentified 'I', encompassing the village and sinking, a polymorphous identity, into the crowd. This innovative fluidity is refreshing to my spirit and allows an unusually rich and multifaceted emotional resonance to build. Often phlegmatic, the narrative gathers force and power as it patiently traces each person's tributary of recall to the communal estuary.
June 14, 2018
Bu co臒rafyadan okudu臒um ilk edebi eser san谋r谋m buydu. Afrika, Kenya, Hindistan gibi co臒rafyalarda y谋llard谋r hangi maj枚r kovboylar谋n at ko艧turdu臒unu mal没m duyup, okuyoruz.
S枚m眉rgenin 1800'lerden beri nas谋l teknik ve boyut de臒i艧tirdi臒ine de 莽ok g眉zel bir 枚rnek kitap olmu艧 asl谋nda. Kitab谋 farkl谋la艧t谋ran san谋r谋m konusu de臒il 莽眉nk眉 bu konu farkl谋 co臒rafyalarda darbe, i莽sava艧, ter枚r gibi farkl谋 y眉zleriyle 莽ok莽a edebiyat, sinema gibi sanat谋n duyar谋yla bizi y眉zy眉ze getirdi.
Kitab谋 ve konuyu farkl谋 k谋lan karakterlerin samimi anlat谋m谋, aile ili艧kilerinin, ihanetin i艧leni艧i, s枚m眉rge gibi b眉y眉k ba艧l谋臒谋n yan谋nda detay kalmadan aktar谋lmas谋 san谋r谋m.
厂补测驳谋濒补谤.
August 8, 2022
Maybe 4.5, maybe 5 - I need to ponder more. This was a fascinating and really powerful read with some fantastic characters and moment. I'd highly recommend it.
October 3, 2022
So good!馃挊 Still thinking about this incredible book days later. Masterful writing, crisp and beautiful. I first read this years ago in high school, and I remember loving it so much, but there鈥檚 so much I missed I reckon now. So much that鈥檚 in between the lines, the naming of the characters, the empathy, the descriptions, so much more. I could see them now, and it鈥檚 made me appreciate this work of art infinitely more! Thank goodness for the insight that comes with age!
Mugo is hands down one of my favourite human beings, yes I know he exists somewhere in the 鈥渞eal world鈥�. He鈥檚 alive, I can feel it! Gikonyo and Mumbi, Oh man!
I wish there was more, another book, two more鈥� I need more鈥�
This book feels like home. And Ngugi wa Thiong鈥檕? Yes I am for sure going to read all his books. This one I鈥檒l be reading again and again! So many many times!
5 superb stars!
猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍
Mugo is hands down one of my favourite human beings, yes I know he exists somewhere in the 鈥渞eal world鈥�. He鈥檚 alive, I can feel it! Gikonyo and Mumbi, Oh man!
I wish there was more, another book, two more鈥� I need more鈥�
This book feels like home. And Ngugi wa Thiong鈥檕? Yes I am for sure going to read all his books. This one I鈥檒l be reading again and again! So many many times!
5 superb stars!
猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍猸愶笍
August 13, 2013
Uhuru is a Swahili word that means freedom. It is a rallying cry for freedom fighters and the name given to the day when Kenya became an independent country in 1963. Ng农g末 wa Thiong鈥檕 takes a magnifying glass to the feelings, motives and consciences of people caught up in the events leading up to Uhuru. Viewed from a distance of years and oceans, the lead-up to independence and ultimate triumph over the colonialists is unequivocally a time of celebration for Kenyans. Thiong'o dashes this picturesque vision with images of grief-stricken mothers, of relationships thwarted by war and women selling their bodies for the price of a loaf of bread, of the weight of betrayal wrung by the instinct of self-preservation and the gulf that can open between two people caught in the cyclone of events whirling during the Emergency years.
Even heroes have their secrets, and the resolve of the strong can be weakened in manifold ways. In the honest words of one freedom fighter, "Many of us talked like that because we wanted to deceive ourselves. It lessens your shame. We talked of loyalty to the movement and the love of our country. You know a time came when I did not care about Uhuru for the country any more. I just wanted to come home. And I would have sold Kenya to the whiteman to buy my own freedom."
The inner lives of the villagers of the fictional town of Thabai are strung through with political tension. Thiong'o constructs his story slowly, weaving back and forth through different storylines, visiting different time periods and peopling different huts. The momentum builds as the day of Uhuru dawns and the murky events of the preceding years are gradually drawn into sharper focus, with all the suspense of a thriller that is magnificently captured by a long-distance race on the morning of Independence.
There is a cloud that hangs over the novel, one that has yet to dissipate in the intervening decades. The men who turned their backs on the movement to lick the heels of the whiteman were not brought to justice, but were the first to benefit from a Kenya owned by the black man. If I speak in black-and-white terms, it is to match Thiong'o's own unflinchingly caustic portrayal of all the white colonialists that pass through his pages. I have not done the research myself, but the ongoing political corruption that plagues Kenya stands to back his claims, and casts another shadow on the celebrations that should accompany the freedom of any nation. A Grain of Wheat was of biting relevance at the time of its publication in 1967, and the questions it provokes resonate up to the present time. What is Uhuru, and did Thiong'o's characters truly attain it? Is Kenya a free and independent nation?
Even heroes have their secrets, and the resolve of the strong can be weakened in manifold ways. In the honest words of one freedom fighter, "Many of us talked like that because we wanted to deceive ourselves. It lessens your shame. We talked of loyalty to the movement and the love of our country. You know a time came when I did not care about Uhuru for the country any more. I just wanted to come home. And I would have sold Kenya to the whiteman to buy my own freedom."
The inner lives of the villagers of the fictional town of Thabai are strung through with political tension. Thiong'o constructs his story slowly, weaving back and forth through different storylines, visiting different time periods and peopling different huts. The momentum builds as the day of Uhuru dawns and the murky events of the preceding years are gradually drawn into sharper focus, with all the suspense of a thriller that is magnificently captured by a long-distance race on the morning of Independence.
There is a cloud that hangs over the novel, one that has yet to dissipate in the intervening decades. The men who turned their backs on the movement to lick the heels of the whiteman were not brought to justice, but were the first to benefit from a Kenya owned by the black man. If I speak in black-and-white terms, it is to match Thiong'o's own unflinchingly caustic portrayal of all the white colonialists that pass through his pages. I have not done the research myself, but the ongoing political corruption that plagues Kenya stands to back his claims, and casts another shadow on the celebrations that should accompany the freedom of any nation. A Grain of Wheat was of biting relevance at the time of its publication in 1967, and the questions it provokes resonate up to the present time. What is Uhuru, and did Thiong'o's characters truly attain it? Is Kenya a free and independent nation?
January 27, 2014
賰賱賲丕 兀亘丨乇鬲 兀賰孬乇 賮賷 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷貙 賰賱賲锟斤拷 鬲兀賰丿鬲 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 兀賳賴 賷禺亘卅 丕賱賳賮丕卅爻 亘賷賳 丨乇賵賮賴貙 賵賰賱賲丕 丕夭丿丿鬲 丨亘丕 賱賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳賴
賵賴匕賴 乇賵丕賷丞 鬲爻鬲丨賯 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞貙 兀亘丿毓 賮賷賴丕 兀賳睾賵噩賷 亘胤乇賷賯丞 爻乇丿賴 賱賱兀丨丿丕孬貙 賮兀賲鬲毓賳丕 亘賲乇丕賵丨鬲賴 亘賷賳 丕賱賲丕囟賷 賵丕賱丨丕囟乇貙 賵亘賷賳 賲卮丕賴丿 賷鬲乇賰賴丕 賴賳賷賴丞 賱賷毓賵丿 賵賷乇賰夭 丕賱囟賵亍 毓賱賷賴丕 孬丕賳賷丞貙 賲氐賵乇丕 廿賷丕賴丕 亘毓丿爻丞 爻賷賳賷賲丕卅賷 賲亘丿毓貙 賮賷 賲卮丕賴丿 鬲禺賱賵 賲賳 丕賱鬲乇鬲賷亘 丕賱夭賲賳賷 丕賱鬲賯賱賷丿賷 兀賵 丕賱爻乇丿 丕賱毓丕丿賷...賲鬲氐丕毓丿丕 亘丕賱爻乇丿 賱賷乇鬲亘 賯胤毓 丕賱兀丨噩賷丞 賮鬲鬲囟丨 丕賱氐賵乇丞 兀賰孬乇 賮兀賰孬乇 賲毓 賰賱 賲卮賴丿...賲鬲睾賱睾賱丕 賱毓賲賯 丕賱卮禺賵氐 賵禺亘丕賷丕 賳賮賵爻賴賲 賮賷賰卮賮 毓賲丕 禺賮賷 賲賳賴賲
兀賳睾賵噩賷 丕賱匕賷 毓丕丿 賱丕爻賲賴 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷 賮賷 賲丨丕賵賱丞 賲賳賴 賱賱鬲亘乇兀 賲賳 毓賯丿丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷貙 亘毓丿 毓賵丿鬲賴 賲賳 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕貙 賱賷賱鬲氐賯 亘鬲乇丕亘 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 賵孬賯丕賮鬲賴丕 賵鬲乇丕孬賴丕貙 亘毓賷丿丕 毓賳 賲禺賱賮丕鬲 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 賵丕賱賲丕丿賷丞 賵丕賱鬲賷 睾乇爻賴丕 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 賯亘賱 賲睾丕丿乇鬲賴 兀乇囟賴丕貙 賱賷賴丿賲 賵乇丕亍賴 廿乇孬丕 丨囟丕乇賷丕 賵孬賯丕賮賷丕 毓馗賷賲丕...賷乇爻賲 賵丕賯毓丕 賰賷賳賷丕 毓丕卮鬲 賮賷賴 賰賷賳賷丕 鬲丨鬲 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 丨鬲賶 鬲丨乇乇鬲 賲賳賴.
兀丨亘亘鬲 丕賱毓賳賵丕賳 丕賱匕賷 兀胤賱賯賴 兀賳睾賵噩賷 毓賱賶 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 賵賰丕賳 賱賴 兀孬乇 賮賷 鬲鬲亘毓 兀丨丿丕孬賴丕 賱賮賴賲 丕賱毓賱丕賯丞 亘賷賳賴賲丕
"賷賯賷賳丕 兀亘賱睾賰賲 賷賯賷賳丕貙 丿毓賵丕 丨亘丞 賯賲丨
鬲爻賯胤 賮賷 丕賱兀乇囟 賵鬲賲賵鬲
賯丿 鬲亘賯賶 賵丨賷丿丞: 賵賱賰賳賴丕 廿賳 賲丕鬲鬲 賮廿賳賴丕 鬲毓胤賷 睾賱丕賱丕 賵賮賷乇丞"
廿賳賴丕 "丕賱兀賲賱" 亘賲爻鬲賯亘賱 賲禺鬲賱賮 亘毓丿 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱...丨亘丞 丕賱賯賲丨 丕賱鬲賷 賵廿賳 賲丕鬲鬲 賮廿賳賴丕 爻鬲賲賳丨 睾賱丕賱丕 賵賮賷乇丞...賮鬲賲賵鬲 賱鬲丨賷賷 睾賷乇賴丕
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賱賷爻 賱兀賳 兀丨丿丕孬賴丕 鬲丿賵乇 賮賷 丕賱亘賷卅丞 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賵賱丕 賱兀賳 卮禺賵氐賴丕 賰匕賱賰...賵賱賰賳賴丕 兀賷囟丕 鬲毓丕賱噩 賲賵囟賵毓丕 賲丐乇賯丕 賷毓丕賳賷 賲賳賴 賰賱 兀賮乇賷賯賷貙 賳鬲賷噩丞 丕賱賳馗乇丞 丕賱鬲賷 丨乇氐 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 毓賱賶 丕賳鬲卮丕乇賴丕 毓賳 兀賴賱賴丕 賵胤亘賷毓丞 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 賵胤乇賷賯丞 鬲賮賰賷乇賴賲貙 丨鬲賶 賷馗賳 丕賱亘毓囟 兀賳 丕賱卮毓賵亘 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賱丕 丨囟丕乇丞 賱賴丕貙 賵兀賳 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 兀賳毓賲 毓賱賷賴丕 亘丕賱丨囟丕乇丞 賵丕賱孬賯丕賮丞
賮丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 丕賱匕賷 兀賵賴賲 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷賷賳 兀賳賴 賯丕丿賲 廿賱賷賴賲 亘胤賴乇 丕賱兀賳亘賷丕亍貙 賵廿乇丕丿丞 丕賱乇亘貙 賲丕 賱亘孬 兀賳 丕爻鬲賵賱賶 毓賱賶 丕賱兀乇囟 賱賷賯賷賲 毓賱賷賴丕 賲丐爻爻丕鬲賴 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇賷丞 賵丕賱鬲亘卮賷乇賷丞貙 亘丿賵賳 賵噩賴 丨賯
" 賱丕 丨馗 丕賱賳丕爻 禺賱丕賱 賮鬲乇丞 賯氐賷乇丞 兀賳 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 丨氐賱 鬲丿乇賷噩賷丕賸 賵亘胤乇賷賯丞 禺賮賷丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱兀乇囟 賱鬲賱亘賷丞 丕賱丨丕噩丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲夭丕賷丿丞 賱賲乇賰夭賴. 賱賯丿 賴丿賲 丕賱賰賵禺 賵兀賯丕賲 亘賳丕賷丕鬲 孬丕亘鬲丞. 丕毓鬲乇囟 丕賱卮賷賵禺 丕賱賲賱鬲氐賯賵賳 亘丕賱兀乇囟 賳馗乇賵丕 廿賱賶 賲丕 賵乇丕亍 丕賱賵噩賴 丕賱囟丕丨賰 賱賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 賵卮丕賴丿賵丕 氐賮賾丕賸 賲賳 丕賱睾乇亘丕亍 丕賱丨賲乇 丕賱匕賷賳 賱丕 賷丨賲賱賵賳 丕賱廿賳噩賷賱貙 亘賱 丕賱爻賷賮. "
鬲鬲乇賰夭 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賮賷 賯乇賷丞 "孬丕亘丕賷" 丕賱鬲賷 毓丕卮 賮賷賴丕 "賲賵睾賵" 賵 "噩賷賰賵賳賷賵" 賵 "賲賵賲亘賷" 夭賵噩鬲賴 賵兀禺鬲 "賰賷賴賷賰丕"...丕賱匕賷 毓乇賮 亘丌乇丕卅賴 賵賲賵丕賯賮丞 丕賱賲賳丕賴囟丞 賱賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇貙 賵丕賱匕賷 丕鬲禺匕 睾丕賳丿賷 賳賲賵匕噩丕 賱賴貙 賵賯丿 賲賳丨賴 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賲爻丕丨丞 賵丕爻毓丞 賲賳 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬貙 賮毓乇賮賳丕 毓賱賶 賳卮兀鬲賴 賵鬲兀孬乇賴 亘賭丨賰丕賷丕鬲 "賵丕乇賵賷" 賲賳匕 氐睾乇賴貙 賱賲丕 賰丕賳 賷爻鬲賲毓 賲賳賴 賱賲丕 丨丿孬 廿孬乇 丿禺賵賱 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 賱亘賱丿賴貙 賱賷賰亘乇 賵賷賯賵丿 丨乇賰丞 "丕賱賲丕賲丕賵" 賮賷 "孬丕亘丕賷"...賵賷睾鬲丕賱 "乇賵亘爻賳"0
賵賲賳 禺賱丕賱 爻賷乇 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賷賵囟丨 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賲賵賯賮 丕賱賳丕爻 賲賳 丕賱孬賵乇丞 囟丿 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇貙 賮賲賳賴賲 賲賳 孬丕乇 囟丿賴 賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 丕爻鬲爻賱賲 賱賱賵丕賯毓 賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 乇囟賷賴 胤賲毓丕 賮賷 賲賰鬲爻亘丕鬲 賷丨賯賯賴丕 賱賴...賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 賰丕賳 噩丕爻賵爻丕 禺丕卅賳丕 丕乇鬲丿賶 孬賵亘 丕賱賳囟丕賱 賱賷賰卮賮 賱賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 毓賳 兀氐丿賯丕卅賴 賵賷賵賯毓賴賲 賮賷 卮乇賰賴
賮賭 "賲賵賲亘賷" 丕賱噩賲賷賱丞 丕賱鬲賷 賷鬲賲賳賶 丕賱賰賱 丕賱賯乇亘 賲賳賴丕貙 賱丕 賷馗賮乇 亘賴丕 廿賱丕 噩賷賰賵賳賷賵 丕賱賲賳丕囟賱貙 兀賲丕 "噩乇丕賳賰丕" 丕賱匕賷 丕賳囟賲 賱賮賷賱賯 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 賮賷睾鬲氐亘賴丕 亘毓丿 兀賳 賲賳丨賴 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 賲賳氐亘 賲禺鬲丕乇 丕賱賯乇賷丞....賵"賲賵睾賵" 丕賱匕賷 毓乇賮 丕賱賳丕爻 亘胤賵賱鬲賴貙 鬲馗賴乇 丨賯賷賯鬲賴 賱賱毓賱賳 賱賲丕 胤賱亘 賲賳賴 兀賳 賷賰鬲亘 禺胤丕亘丕 賷賰乇賲 賮賷賴 兀亘胤丕賱 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 賱兀賳賴 乇賮賷賯 "賰賷賴賷賰丕" 賮賷 丕賱賳囟丕賱...賱賷賰卮賮 毓賳 禺賷丕賳鬲賴 賱 "賰賷賴賷賰丕" 亘兀賳 丿賱賴賲 毓賱賶 賲賰丕賳 丕禺鬲亘丕卅賴 賱賷毓鬲賯賱賵賴 賵賷毓丿賲賵賴貙 賮鬲賴鬲夭 氐賵乇丞 丕賱亘胤賱
兀賳睾賵噩賷 兀亘丿毓 亘賲丕 賲賳丨賴 賱卮禺賵氐賴 賲賳 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 鬲乇爻賲 丨丿賵丿 卮禺氐賷丕鬲賴賲 亘賲丕 賷禺丿賲 賮賰乇鬲賴...賵兀亘丿毓 賮賷 丕賱賲爻丕丨丞 丕賱鬲賷 賲賳丨賴丕 賱賰賱 賲賳賴賲...賵賮賷 爻亘乇 兀睾賵丕乇 卮禺賵氐賴 賱賷賰卮賮 毓賳 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱賳賮爻賷 賲賳賴賲...賵賯丿 馗賴乇 賴匕丕 噩賱賷丕 賮賷 賲毓丕賱噩鬲賴 賱丨賰丕賷丞 禺賷丕賳丞 "賲賵睾賵" 賱氐丿賷賯賴貙 丕賱匕賷 丨丕賵賱 鬲亘乇賷乇 禺賷丕賳鬲賴...賮賷 丨賷賳 賰丕賳 丕賱丿丕賮毓 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷 賱賮毓賱鬲賴 睾賷乇鬲賴 賵丨賯丿賴 賵囟睾賷賳丞 兀賰賳賴丕 賱賭 "賰賷賴賷賰丕"0
" 賯乇乇 賲賵睾賵 兀賳賴丕 丕賱睾賷乇丞 丨賷賳 賱賲 賷噩丿 噩賵丕亘丕賸 毓賳 爻丐丕賱賴. 賯丕丿賴 丕賱鬲賮賰賷乇 廿賱賶 賰乇賴賴 丕賱賯丿賷賲 賱賰賷賴賷賰丕. 賯賵賷 丕賱賰購乇賴購 丕賱丌賳 丨鬲賶 睾丕氐 亘賴. 賰賷賴賷賰丕 丕賱匕賷 賷賲鬲賱賰 兀亘丕賸 賵兀賲丕賸 賵丕禺鬲丕賸 丕爻鬲胤丕毓 兀賳 賷賱毓亘 亘丕賱賲賵鬲. 廿賳賾 賱賴 賳丕爻丕賸 賷丨夭賳賵賳 毓賱賷賴 賵賷爻賲賷 丌禺乇賵賳 兀胤賮丕賱賴賲 亘丕爻賲賴 賰賷 賷亘賯賶 丕爻賲 賰賷賴賷賰丕 賷鬲乇丿丿 毓賱賶 卮賮丕賴賴賲. 廿賳 賰賷賴賷賰丕 賷賲賱賰 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵賲賵睾賵 賱丕 賷賲賱賰 兀賷 卮賷亍"
毓丕賱噩 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賰匕賱賰 噩丕賳亘丕 賲賴賲丕 賱賲丕 兀賮乇丿 賲爻丕丨丞 賱賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 亘賰丕賮丞 卮乇丕卅丨賴貙 賮賲賳賴賲 賲賳 噩丕亍 賱賰賷賳賷丕 賱賷鬲賲鬲毓 亘丕賲鬲賷丕夭丕鬲貙 賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 賲丕乇爻 爻胤賵鬲賴 賵賯爻賵鬲賴 亘賱丕 丨丿賵丿貙 賵賲賳賴賲 丕賱匕賷 噩丕亍 乇睾亘丞 亘丕賱毓賲賱 賵兀亘丿賶 鬲毓丕胤賮丕 賲毓 丕賱卮毓亘 丕賱賲賯賴賵乇
兀丨亘亘鬲 丕賱禺丕鬲賲丞 丕賱鬲賷 噩賲毓鬲 卮賲賱 丕賱毓丕卅賱丞 賮賷 廿賷丨丕亍 賲賳 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賱亘丿亍 丨賷丕丞 噩丿賷丿丞貙 丕賱兀爻乇丞 賳賵丕鬲賴丕...賵兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 賲賳鬲賴丕賴丕
賵賴匕賴 乇賵丕賷丞 鬲爻鬲丨賯 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞貙 兀亘丿毓 賮賷賴丕 兀賳睾賵噩賷 亘胤乇賷賯丞 爻乇丿賴 賱賱兀丨丿丕孬貙 賮兀賲鬲毓賳丕 亘賲乇丕賵丨鬲賴 亘賷賳 丕賱賲丕囟賷 賵丕賱丨丕囟乇貙 賵亘賷賳 賲卮丕賴丿 賷鬲乇賰賴丕 賴賳賷賴丞 賱賷毓賵丿 賵賷乇賰夭 丕賱囟賵亍 毓賱賷賴丕 孬丕賳賷丞貙 賲氐賵乇丕 廿賷丕賴丕 亘毓丿爻丞 爻賷賳賷賲丕卅賷 賲亘丿毓貙 賮賷 賲卮丕賴丿 鬲禺賱賵 賲賳 丕賱鬲乇鬲賷亘 丕賱夭賲賳賷 丕賱鬲賯賱賷丿賷 兀賵 丕賱爻乇丿 丕賱毓丕丿賷...賲鬲氐丕毓丿丕 亘丕賱爻乇丿 賱賷乇鬲亘 賯胤毓 丕賱兀丨噩賷丞 賮鬲鬲囟丨 丕賱氐賵乇丞 兀賰孬乇 賮兀賰孬乇 賲毓 賰賱 賲卮賴丿...賲鬲睾賱睾賱丕 賱毓賲賯 丕賱卮禺賵氐 賵禺亘丕賷丕 賳賮賵爻賴賲 賮賷賰卮賮 毓賲丕 禺賮賷 賲賳賴賲
兀賳睾賵噩賷 丕賱匕賷 毓丕丿 賱丕爻賲賴 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷 賮賷 賲丨丕賵賱丞 賲賳賴 賱賱鬲亘乇兀 賲賳 毓賯丿丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷貙 亘毓丿 毓賵丿鬲賴 賲賳 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕貙 賱賷賱鬲氐賯 亘鬲乇丕亘 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 賵孬賯丕賮鬲賴丕 賵鬲乇丕孬賴丕貙 亘毓賷丿丕 毓賳 賲禺賱賮丕鬲 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 丕賱賳賮爻賷丞 賵丕賱賲丕丿賷丞 賵丕賱鬲賷 睾乇爻賴丕 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 賯亘賱 賲睾丕丿乇鬲賴 兀乇囟賴丕貙 賱賷賴丿賲 賵乇丕亍賴 廿乇孬丕 丨囟丕乇賷丕 賵孬賯丕賮賷丕 毓馗賷賲丕...賷乇爻賲 賵丕賯毓丕 賰賷賳賷丕 毓丕卮鬲 賮賷賴 賰賷賳賷丕 鬲丨鬲 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 丨鬲賶 鬲丨乇乇鬲 賲賳賴.
兀丨亘亘鬲 丕賱毓賳賵丕賳 丕賱匕賷 兀胤賱賯賴 兀賳睾賵噩賷 毓賱賶 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 賵賰丕賳 賱賴 兀孬乇 賮賷 鬲鬲亘毓 兀丨丿丕孬賴丕 賱賮賴賲 丕賱毓賱丕賯丞 亘賷賳賴賲丕
"賷賯賷賳丕 兀亘賱睾賰賲 賷賯賷賳丕貙 丿毓賵丕 丨亘丞 賯賲丨
鬲爻賯胤 賮賷 丕賱兀乇囟 賵鬲賲賵鬲
賯丿 鬲亘賯賶 賵丨賷丿丞: 賵賱賰賳賴丕 廿賳 賲丕鬲鬲 賮廿賳賴丕 鬲毓胤賷 睾賱丕賱丕 賵賮賷乇丞"
廿賳賴丕 "丕賱兀賲賱" 亘賲爻鬲賯亘賱 賲禺鬲賱賮 亘毓丿 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱...丨亘丞 丕賱賯賲丨 丕賱鬲賷 賵廿賳 賲丕鬲鬲 賮廿賳賴丕 爻鬲賲賳丨 睾賱丕賱丕 賵賮賷乇丞...賮鬲賲賵鬲 賱鬲丨賷賷 睾賷乇賴丕
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賱賷爻 賱兀賳 兀丨丿丕孬賴丕 鬲丿賵乇 賮賷 丕賱亘賷卅丞 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賵賱丕 賱兀賳 卮禺賵氐賴丕 賰匕賱賰...賵賱賰賳賴丕 兀賷囟丕 鬲毓丕賱噩 賲賵囟賵毓丕 賲丐乇賯丕 賷毓丕賳賷 賲賳賴 賰賱 兀賮乇賷賯賷貙 賳鬲賷噩丞 丕賱賳馗乇丞 丕賱鬲賷 丨乇氐 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 毓賱賶 丕賳鬲卮丕乇賴丕 毓賳 兀賴賱賴丕 賵胤亘賷毓丞 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 賵胤乇賷賯丞 鬲賮賰賷乇賴賲貙 丨鬲賶 賷馗賳 丕賱亘毓囟 兀賳 丕賱卮毓賵亘 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賱丕 丨囟丕乇丞 賱賴丕貙 賵兀賳 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 兀賳毓賲 毓賱賷賴丕 亘丕賱丨囟丕乇丞 賵丕賱孬賯丕賮丞
賮丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 丕賱匕賷 兀賵賴賲 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷賷賳 兀賳賴 賯丕丿賲 廿賱賷賴賲 亘胤賴乇 丕賱兀賳亘賷丕亍貙 賵廿乇丕丿丞 丕賱乇亘貙 賲丕 賱亘孬 兀賳 丕爻鬲賵賱賶 毓賱賶 丕賱兀乇囟 賱賷賯賷賲 毓賱賷賴丕 賲丐爻爻丕鬲賴 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇賷丞 賵丕賱鬲亘卮賷乇賷丞貙 亘丿賵賳 賵噩賴 丨賯
" 賱丕 丨馗 丕賱賳丕爻 禺賱丕賱 賮鬲乇丞 賯氐賷乇丞 兀賳 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 丨氐賱 鬲丿乇賷噩賷丕賸 賵亘胤乇賷賯丞 禺賮賷丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱兀乇囟 賱鬲賱亘賷丞 丕賱丨丕噩丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲夭丕賷丿丞 賱賲乇賰夭賴. 賱賯丿 賴丿賲 丕賱賰賵禺 賵兀賯丕賲 亘賳丕賷丕鬲 孬丕亘鬲丞. 丕毓鬲乇囟 丕賱卮賷賵禺 丕賱賲賱鬲氐賯賵賳 亘丕賱兀乇囟 賳馗乇賵丕 廿賱賶 賲丕 賵乇丕亍 丕賱賵噩賴 丕賱囟丕丨賰 賱賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 賵卮丕賴丿賵丕 氐賮賾丕賸 賲賳 丕賱睾乇亘丕亍 丕賱丨賲乇 丕賱匕賷賳 賱丕 賷丨賲賱賵賳 丕賱廿賳噩賷賱貙 亘賱 丕賱爻賷賮. "
鬲鬲乇賰夭 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賮賷 賯乇賷丞 "孬丕亘丕賷" 丕賱鬲賷 毓丕卮 賮賷賴丕 "賲賵睾賵" 賵 "噩賷賰賵賳賷賵" 賵 "賲賵賲亘賷" 夭賵噩鬲賴 賵兀禺鬲 "賰賷賴賷賰丕"...丕賱匕賷 毓乇賮 亘丌乇丕卅賴 賵賲賵丕賯賮丞 丕賱賲賳丕賴囟丞 賱賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇貙 賵丕賱匕賷 丕鬲禺匕 睾丕賳丿賷 賳賲賵匕噩丕 賱賴貙 賵賯丿 賲賳丨賴 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賲爻丕丨丞 賵丕爻毓丞 賲賳 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬貙 賮毓乇賮賳丕 毓賱賶 賳卮兀鬲賴 賵鬲兀孬乇賴 亘賭丨賰丕賷丕鬲 "賵丕乇賵賷" 賲賳匕 氐睾乇賴貙 賱賲丕 賰丕賳 賷爻鬲賲毓 賲賳賴 賱賲丕 丨丿孬 廿孬乇 丿禺賵賱 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 賱亘賱丿賴貙 賱賷賰亘乇 賵賷賯賵丿 丨乇賰丞 "丕賱賲丕賲丕賵" 賮賷 "孬丕亘丕賷"...賵賷睾鬲丕賱 "乇賵亘爻賳"0
賵賲賳 禺賱丕賱 爻賷乇 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賷賵囟丨 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賲賵賯賮 丕賱賳丕爻 賲賳 丕賱孬賵乇丞 囟丿 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇貙 賮賲賳賴賲 賲賳 孬丕乇 囟丿賴 賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 丕爻鬲爻賱賲 賱賱賵丕賯毓 賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 乇囟賷賴 胤賲毓丕 賮賷 賲賰鬲爻亘丕鬲 賷丨賯賯賴丕 賱賴...賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 賰丕賳 噩丕爻賵爻丕 禺丕卅賳丕 丕乇鬲丿賶 孬賵亘 丕賱賳囟丕賱 賱賷賰卮賮 賱賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 毓賳 兀氐丿賯丕卅賴 賵賷賵賯毓賴賲 賮賷 卮乇賰賴
賮賭 "賲賵賲亘賷" 丕賱噩賲賷賱丞 丕賱鬲賷 賷鬲賲賳賶 丕賱賰賱 丕賱賯乇亘 賲賳賴丕貙 賱丕 賷馗賮乇 亘賴丕 廿賱丕 噩賷賰賵賳賷賵 丕賱賲賳丕囟賱貙 兀賲丕 "噩乇丕賳賰丕" 丕賱匕賷 丕賳囟賲 賱賮賷賱賯 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 賮賷睾鬲氐亘賴丕 亘毓丿 兀賳 賲賳丨賴 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 賲賳氐亘 賲禺鬲丕乇 丕賱賯乇賷丞....賵"賲賵睾賵" 丕賱匕賷 毓乇賮 丕賱賳丕爻 亘胤賵賱鬲賴貙 鬲馗賴乇 丨賯賷賯鬲賴 賱賱毓賱賳 賱賲丕 胤賱亘 賲賳賴 兀賳 賷賰鬲亘 禺胤丕亘丕 賷賰乇賲 賮賷賴 兀亘胤丕賱 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 賱兀賳賴 乇賮賷賯 "賰賷賴賷賰丕" 賮賷 丕賱賳囟丕賱...賱賷賰卮賮 毓賳 禺賷丕賳鬲賴 賱 "賰賷賴賷賰丕" 亘兀賳 丿賱賴賲 毓賱賶 賲賰丕賳 丕禺鬲亘丕卅賴 賱賷毓鬲賯賱賵賴 賵賷毓丿賲賵賴貙 賮鬲賴鬲夭 氐賵乇丞 丕賱亘胤賱
兀賳睾賵噩賷 兀亘丿毓 亘賲丕 賲賳丨賴 賱卮禺賵氐賴 賲賳 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 鬲乇爻賲 丨丿賵丿 卮禺氐賷丕鬲賴賲 亘賲丕 賷禺丿賲 賮賰乇鬲賴...賵兀亘丿毓 賮賷 丕賱賲爻丕丨丞 丕賱鬲賷 賲賳丨賴丕 賱賰賱 賲賳賴賲...賵賮賷 爻亘乇 兀睾賵丕乇 卮禺賵氐賴 賱賷賰卮賮 毓賳 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱賳賮爻賷 賲賳賴賲...賵賯丿 馗賴乇 賴匕丕 噩賱賷丕 賮賷 賲毓丕賱噩鬲賴 賱丨賰丕賷丞 禺賷丕賳丞 "賲賵睾賵" 賱氐丿賷賯賴貙 丕賱匕賷 丨丕賵賱 鬲亘乇賷乇 禺賷丕賳鬲賴...賮賷 丨賷賳 賰丕賳 丕賱丿丕賮毓 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷 賱賮毓賱鬲賴 睾賷乇鬲賴 賵丨賯丿賴 賵囟睾賷賳丞 兀賰賳賴丕 賱賭 "賰賷賴賷賰丕"0
" 賯乇乇 賲賵睾賵 兀賳賴丕 丕賱睾賷乇丞 丨賷賳 賱賲 賷噩丿 噩賵丕亘丕賸 毓賳 爻丐丕賱賴. 賯丕丿賴 丕賱鬲賮賰賷乇 廿賱賶 賰乇賴賴 丕賱賯丿賷賲 賱賰賷賴賷賰丕. 賯賵賷 丕賱賰購乇賴購 丕賱丌賳 丨鬲賶 睾丕氐 亘賴. 賰賷賴賷賰丕 丕賱匕賷 賷賲鬲賱賰 兀亘丕賸 賵兀賲丕賸 賵丕禺鬲丕賸 丕爻鬲胤丕毓 兀賳 賷賱毓亘 亘丕賱賲賵鬲. 廿賳賾 賱賴 賳丕爻丕賸 賷丨夭賳賵賳 毓賱賷賴 賵賷爻賲賷 丌禺乇賵賳 兀胤賮丕賱賴賲 亘丕爻賲賴 賰賷 賷亘賯賶 丕爻賲 賰賷賴賷賰丕 賷鬲乇丿丿 毓賱賶 卮賮丕賴賴賲. 廿賳 賰賷賴賷賰丕 賷賲賱賰 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵賲賵睾賵 賱丕 賷賲賱賰 兀賷 卮賷亍"
毓丕賱噩 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賰匕賱賰 噩丕賳亘丕 賲賴賲丕 賱賲丕 兀賮乇丿 賲爻丕丨丞 賱賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇 亘賰丕賮丞 卮乇丕卅丨賴貙 賮賲賳賴賲 賲賳 噩丕亍 賱賰賷賳賷丕 賱賷鬲賲鬲毓 亘丕賲鬲賷丕夭丕鬲貙 賵賲賳賴賲 賲賳 賲丕乇爻 爻胤賵鬲賴 賵賯爻賵鬲賴 亘賱丕 丨丿賵丿貙 賵賲賳賴賲 丕賱匕賷 噩丕亍 乇睾亘丞 亘丕賱毓賲賱 賵兀亘丿賶 鬲毓丕胤賮丕 賲毓 丕賱卮毓亘 丕賱賲賯賴賵乇
兀丨亘亘鬲 丕賱禺丕鬲賲丞 丕賱鬲賷 噩賲毓鬲 卮賲賱 丕賱毓丕卅賱丞 賮賷 廿賷丨丕亍 賲賳 兀賳睾賵噩賷 賱亘丿亍 丨賷丕丞 噩丿賷丿丞貙 丕賱兀爻乇丞 賳賵丕鬲賴丕...賵兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 賲賳鬲賴丕賴丕
May 3, 2017
Frederick Jameson 眉莽眉nc眉 d眉nyan谋n roman谋n谋n bir toplumsal alegori oldu臒unu s枚yl眉yormu艧. Jameson'谋n bu tespiti 艧arkiyat莽谋 anlay谋艧谋n 眉莽眉nc眉 d眉nya ile ilgili toptanc谋 mant谋臒谋 艧eklinde su莽lansa dahi yanl谋艧lanmas谋 zor. Alegorik olmaktan ba艧ka 莽aresi de yoktur belki de s枚z konusu d眉nyan谋n roman谋n谋n. Mesela bu roman谋n yaz谋ld谋臒谋 d枚nemde k谋ta Afrika's谋n谋n insanlar谋 hen眉z insan olduklar谋n谋 bile kabul ettirememi艧ler.
June 2, 2025
Two Hearts
(are better than one?)
I could start with two quotes, words spoken by two characters in very different dialogues:
芦Which of us does not carry a weight in the heart?禄
And:
芦Strike terror in the heart of the oppressor.禄
A Grain of Wheat, 1967: we are just a few years from the end of colonial rule (the day of proclamation of the independence of Kenya is December 12, 1963) and there is nothing celebratory about it.
Indeed, the dominant theme of the book is betrayal, ubiquitous in all its meanings and ramifications.
And, with betrayal, existential solitude, involving everyone (even whites): the consequence of frustrated aspirations to communion with the others (芦a time will come when you too will know that every man in the world is alone, and fights alone, to live禄, a character says).
But all this connects to the need for revolt, to fragments of mythical tales of struggles, to a strong bond with the land.
Who tells the story? It's not explicitly stated, but at times it feels as though the narrator is one of the locals, an anonymous spokesman for the community: 芦Most of us from Thabai禄; 芦In our village禄...
We are in a rural area of 鈥嬧€婯enya, inhabited by Gikuyu (the name remainds me vague memories of Out of Africa by Karen Blixen...). There is no direct description, but from the songs and proverbs mentioned we can reconstruct a mythical past: an original matriarchy and the subsequent rebellion of men, who agree to put all women pregnant and take power during the pregnancy's weakness.
Very important is the interlacing of times, at the beginning obviously confusing but then fascinating; and in the end fairly clear.
The glorious and terrible moment of revolt, the conquest of independence, is already in the past. And it is not only a bright past (treachery was already present, with suffering, prison, detention camps, violence). The present is much more prosaic and, above all, is full of wounds.
Actually, the present is not the time when things happen. Mostly, it seems to be an opportunity to bring out the main narrative, as a screen where is projected - already distanced - the past, recent and less recent.
So the true narrative is almost all retrospective, it emerges progressively, at different times and with different points of view. Sometimes, in some more legendary fragments, going back to the first steps of a liberation movement in the 1920s.
There is a frequent presence, in English, of local words, from "Uhuru", the swahili word meaning freedom, in particular the political independence of Kenya that is being achieved. And then: "shamba", "jembe", "panga" and so on (in the seventies Ngugi will go directly to writing in African languages).
The main characters (Mugo, Gikonyo, Karanja...) have all a difficult present and a richer past (if they are not already dead as Kihika, the hero of freedom).
The importance of Mumbi, who bears the name of the first woman according to the myths of the Gikuyu origins, emerges in particular; she therefore represents the woman par excellence, linked to the protagonists of the liberation movement and disputed by several men.
The interior division does not lack on the other side: even characters who have played a role as repressor and torturer to defeat rebels had a noble vision of the British Empire as 芦one British nation, emracing peoples of all colours and creeds, based on the just proposition that all men are created equal禄.
Among Kenyan fighters, instead, the models of freedom can be the Russians like Gandhi and Lincoln, who 芦had been executed by the British for leading the black folk in America into a revolt禄 and Napoleon, 芦one of the biggest warriors in history禄 whose voice alone 芦made the British urinate and shit on their calves inside their houses.禄
But the vision of the hero Kihika is always nourished by the Bible (in particular, of course, Exodus): 芦a people united in faith are stronger than the bomb禄.
All this past and the wounds it left, the hopes of social and personal changes: everything is dancing around the few days of preparation and feast for independence.
芦It was not a happy feeling; it was more a disturbing sense of an inevitable doom禄, but some hope of recovery in the relationship torn can be cautiously expanded to a more general view.
[I have read the Penguin African Writers edition, with an introduction by Abdulrazak Gurnah. I believe it is the version revised in 1987; but how big were the changes? There is no precise information.]
[given the keyword of the book, a possible anachronistic soundtrack would be this:
]
[nel 2017, cinquantenario della prima edizione, 猫 stata ristampata anche una traduzione italiana, ma l'ho solo presa in mano senza leggerla]
(are better than one?)
I could start with two quotes, words spoken by two characters in very different dialogues:
芦Which of us does not carry a weight in the heart?禄
And:
芦Strike terror in the heart of the oppressor.禄
A Grain of Wheat, 1967: we are just a few years from the end of colonial rule (the day of proclamation of the independence of Kenya is December 12, 1963) and there is nothing celebratory about it.
Indeed, the dominant theme of the book is betrayal, ubiquitous in all its meanings and ramifications.
And, with betrayal, existential solitude, involving everyone (even whites): the consequence of frustrated aspirations to communion with the others (芦a time will come when you too will know that every man in the world is alone, and fights alone, to live禄, a character says).
But all this connects to the need for revolt, to fragments of mythical tales of struggles, to a strong bond with the land.
Who tells the story? It's not explicitly stated, but at times it feels as though the narrator is one of the locals, an anonymous spokesman for the community: 芦Most of us from Thabai禄; 芦In our village禄...
We are in a rural area of 鈥嬧€婯enya, inhabited by Gikuyu (the name remainds me vague memories of Out of Africa by Karen Blixen...). There is no direct description, but from the songs and proverbs mentioned we can reconstruct a mythical past: an original matriarchy and the subsequent rebellion of men, who agree to put all women pregnant and take power during the pregnancy's weakness.
Very important is the interlacing of times, at the beginning obviously confusing but then fascinating; and in the end fairly clear.
The glorious and terrible moment of revolt, the conquest of independence, is already in the past. And it is not only a bright past (treachery was already present, with suffering, prison, detention camps, violence). The present is much more prosaic and, above all, is full of wounds.
Actually, the present is not the time when things happen. Mostly, it seems to be an opportunity to bring out the main narrative, as a screen where is projected - already distanced - the past, recent and less recent.
So the true narrative is almost all retrospective, it emerges progressively, at different times and with different points of view. Sometimes, in some more legendary fragments, going back to the first steps of a liberation movement in the 1920s.
There is a frequent presence, in English, of local words, from "Uhuru", the swahili word meaning freedom, in particular the political independence of Kenya that is being achieved. And then: "shamba", "jembe", "panga" and so on (in the seventies Ngugi will go directly to writing in African languages).
The main characters (Mugo, Gikonyo, Karanja...) have all a difficult present and a richer past (if they are not already dead as Kihika, the hero of freedom).
The importance of Mumbi, who bears the name of the first woman according to the myths of the Gikuyu origins, emerges in particular; she therefore represents the woman par excellence, linked to the protagonists of the liberation movement and disputed by several men.
The interior division does not lack on the other side: even characters who have played a role as repressor and torturer to defeat rebels had a noble vision of the British Empire as 芦one British nation, emracing peoples of all colours and creeds, based on the just proposition that all men are created equal禄.
Among Kenyan fighters, instead, the models of freedom can be the Russians like Gandhi and Lincoln, who 芦had been executed by the British for leading the black folk in America into a revolt禄 and Napoleon, 芦one of the biggest warriors in history禄 whose voice alone 芦made the British urinate and shit on their calves inside their houses.禄
But the vision of the hero Kihika is always nourished by the Bible (in particular, of course, Exodus): 芦a people united in faith are stronger than the bomb禄.
All this past and the wounds it left, the hopes of social and personal changes: everything is dancing around the few days of preparation and feast for independence.
芦It was not a happy feeling; it was more a disturbing sense of an inevitable doom禄, but some hope of recovery in the relationship torn can be cautiously expanded to a more general view.
[I have read the Penguin African Writers edition, with an introduction by Abdulrazak Gurnah. I believe it is the version revised in 1987; but how big were the changes? There is no precise information.]
[given the keyword of the book, a possible anachronistic soundtrack would be this:
]
[nel 2017, cinquantenario della prima edizione, 猫 stata ristampata anche una traduzione italiana, ma l'ho solo presa in mano senza leggerla]
Read
August 2, 2019
AFRICAN BOOKS MARATHON
BOOK: 4
TITLE: A Grain of Wheat
AUTHOR: Ng农g末 wa Thiong鈥檕
COUNTRY: Kenya
This was not an easy novel. The exchange between the present and the past was (mainly at the beginning) confusing, but you get used to it as the novel progress. The same goes with the names. You don't know if Mumbi is a woman or a man, or if Karanja is a she or a he. But you get used to it as well.
The present time of takes place in the 4 days before Kenya's independence from the British Empire in December 1963.
The past time takes place during the Emergency in the 1950's during the Mau Mau rebellion against the European settlers. The past time is almost equal in length (if not longer) from the present.
The Characters:
Kihika: the hero, the fighter, the one that sacrifices himself for the good of his people.
Mumbi: his sister wife of Gikonyo, the beauty of the village.
Gikonyo: was detained in concentration camps during the emergency, and upon his release something makes him estranged from his beloved wife, Mumbi.
Mugo: the quiet, seclusive hero of the village who saved a pregnant woman from whipping and was tortured in result. He holds a terrible secret.
Karanja: A rival of Gikonyo, in love with Mumbi, he is the friend of the colonialists, in order to save his own hide.
DO Thompson: A caricature of the British imperialism: a savage, inhuman white-man, that his aim is to eliminate the brutes. The irony (if it's possible to be applied here) is that he, the European, cultured, western man is more savage and inhuman than the people of Africa that Europeans always (simplistically) perceived as the savages of the jungle.
Myself, even though not a Kenyan, I saw similarities of Kenya's revolt of the Mau-Mau, with Cyprus' revolt of EOKA against the same enemy, the British Empire, both revolts happened in the 1950's. Concentration camps (my late great uncle had an experience of this), hangings, traitors, searches in houses, independence. . .
As with Cyprus, the heroes are about to experience independence. What is independence? Prosperity and eternal peace? Or is this independence only an idealised dream. In Cyprus it was indeed a dream that lasted 3 years (1960-1963 (the year when Kenya was gaining her independence we realised that independence has to be maintained) ). I can't say what this upcoming independence will bring to Kenya (possible spoilers) but it's certainly not an idealised dream.
In this political novel we see a group of people waiting for (Freedom in Swahili) - Independence day and we travel through their memories in the past during the uprisings, and we see their experiences, their mistakes, their history, and through their eyes we see Kenya's history as a whole.
Even though not an easy novel (especially for those who prefer straightforward narratives) it's not hard either and it's rewarding. Firstly because you get to know Kenya's history and culture, myths and realities, and secondly you are able to see the humanity in the black "savage" and the inhumanity in the white "cultured" man.
began writing in the imperial language of English using an English name (James) and the in the late 1970's he rejected the colonial name and identity and started writing in Kikuyu (his native language) with his more correct name Ng农g末 wa Thiong鈥檕.
The irony is that by using Kikuyu a native language of Kenya in a instead of English, he was detained by those (lauded heroes) who were fighting the British for Kenyan Independence from the British Imperialism and the Colonial language English
I'm interested in reading more by him. 3.5 stars
You can see the complete list of my African Books here:
BOOK: 4
TITLE: A Grain of Wheat
AUTHOR: Ng农g末 wa Thiong鈥檕
COUNTRY: Kenya
This was not an easy novel. The exchange between the present and the past was (mainly at the beginning) confusing, but you get used to it as the novel progress. The same goes with the names. You don't know if Mumbi is a woman or a man, or if Karanja is a she or a he. But you get used to it as well.
The present time of takes place in the 4 days before Kenya's independence from the British Empire in December 1963.
The past time takes place during the Emergency in the 1950's during the Mau Mau rebellion against the European settlers. The past time is almost equal in length (if not longer) from the present.
The Characters:
Kihika: the hero, the fighter, the one that sacrifices himself for the good of his people.
Mumbi: his sister wife of Gikonyo, the beauty of the village.
Gikonyo: was detained in concentration camps during the emergency, and upon his release something makes him estranged from his beloved wife, Mumbi.
Mugo: the quiet, seclusive hero of the village who saved a pregnant woman from whipping and was tortured in result. He holds a terrible secret.
Karanja: A rival of Gikonyo, in love with Mumbi, he is the friend of the colonialists, in order to save his own hide.
DO Thompson: A caricature of the British imperialism: a savage, inhuman white-man, that his aim is to eliminate the brutes. The irony (if it's possible to be applied here) is that he, the European, cultured, western man is more savage and inhuman than the people of Africa that Europeans always (simplistically) perceived as the savages of the jungle.
Myself, even though not a Kenyan, I saw similarities of Kenya's revolt of the Mau-Mau, with Cyprus' revolt of EOKA against the same enemy, the British Empire, both revolts happened in the 1950's. Concentration camps (my late great uncle had an experience of this), hangings, traitors, searches in houses, independence. . .
As with Cyprus, the heroes are about to experience independence. What is independence? Prosperity and eternal peace? Or is this independence only an idealised dream. In Cyprus it was indeed a dream that lasted 3 years (1960-1963 (the year when Kenya was gaining her independence we realised that independence has to be maintained) ). I can't say what this upcoming independence will bring to Kenya (possible spoilers) but it's certainly not an idealised dream.
In this political novel we see a group of people waiting for (Freedom in Swahili) - Independence day and we travel through their memories in the past during the uprisings, and we see their experiences, their mistakes, their history, and through their eyes we see Kenya's history as a whole.
Even though not an easy novel (especially for those who prefer straightforward narratives) it's not hard either and it's rewarding. Firstly because you get to know Kenya's history and culture, myths and realities, and secondly you are able to see the humanity in the black "savage" and the inhumanity in the white "cultured" man.
began writing in the imperial language of English using an English name (James) and the in the late 1970's he rejected the colonial name and identity and started writing in Kikuyu (his native language) with his more correct name Ng农g末 wa Thiong鈥檕.
The irony is that by using Kikuyu a native language of Kenya in a instead of English, he was detained by those (lauded heroes) who were fighting the British for Kenyan Independence from the British Imperialism and the Colonial language English
I'm interested in reading more by him. 3.5 stars
You can see the complete list of my African Books here:
July 2, 2018
La puntuaci贸n justo reci茅n acabado ser铆a de un 4'5
No sabr铆a decir porqu茅 no me ha acabado de parecer redonda.
Lo tengo que dejar reposar.
De todos modos es desgarradora
No sabr铆a decir porqu茅 no me ha acabado de parecer redonda.
Lo tengo que dejar reposar.
De todos modos es desgarradora
July 20, 2021
A Grain of Wheat is the story of a group of villagers in the rural community of Thabai in Kenya鈥檚 central highlands, set in December 1963 as Kenya is about to become independent from the United Kingdom. The Emergency of the 1950s, the revolutionary struggle that finally led to independence, required the villagers to make choices that have left a powerful mark on them. As they prepare for freedom and look to the future, the main characters must come to terms with their past.
The novel focuses on several villagers as it explores the intersection of political struggle and personal choice. Mugo is a man of few words who lives alone, almost as a hermit. Based on one action he took to intervene when a woman was being beaten, many in the village view him as a hero. But he is keeping a dark secret that gnaws on him more and more as the day of Uhuru (freedom) approaches. Meanwhile, the other primary characters in the novel, Kihika, Gikonyo, Mumbi, and Karanja, all faced difficult choices as they dealt with the discrimination, inhumanity, and violence of colonial rule. Their responses included heroism, bravery, stoicism, submission, cowardice, and betrayal. Now, as Uhuru is upon them, they and others in the community are assessing and in some cases reinterpreting those responses.
The unique narrative structure of the novel includes numerous flashbacks, often in the form of 鈥渃onfessions.鈥� This structure gives the book the feel of oral storytelling, which I鈥檓 guessing was intentional. It is effective in weaving together the past and the present lives of the various characters, but it can sometimes be difficult to follow. Or at least it was for me. For much of the book, I also had difficulty keeping some of the characters straight, which I attribute to the unfamiliarity of the African names. This difficulty receded as the book progressed.
As a Western reader, I found the book to be worth reading for at least two reasons. First, it proved to be quite educational in its depiction of Kenyan culture and history, of which I had only superficial knowledge. And second, by introducing me to these people in a rural Kenyan village, a setting far removed from my own life experience, it illustrated that human motivations and behaviors are universal. That鈥檚 a lesson that is worth reinforcing.
The novel focuses on several villagers as it explores the intersection of political struggle and personal choice. Mugo is a man of few words who lives alone, almost as a hermit. Based on one action he took to intervene when a woman was being beaten, many in the village view him as a hero. But he is keeping a dark secret that gnaws on him more and more as the day of Uhuru (freedom) approaches. Meanwhile, the other primary characters in the novel, Kihika, Gikonyo, Mumbi, and Karanja, all faced difficult choices as they dealt with the discrimination, inhumanity, and violence of colonial rule. Their responses included heroism, bravery, stoicism, submission, cowardice, and betrayal. Now, as Uhuru is upon them, they and others in the community are assessing and in some cases reinterpreting those responses.
The unique narrative structure of the novel includes numerous flashbacks, often in the form of 鈥渃onfessions.鈥� This structure gives the book the feel of oral storytelling, which I鈥檓 guessing was intentional. It is effective in weaving together the past and the present lives of the various characters, but it can sometimes be difficult to follow. Or at least it was for me. For much of the book, I also had difficulty keeping some of the characters straight, which I attribute to the unfamiliarity of the African names. This difficulty receded as the book progressed.
As a Western reader, I found the book to be worth reading for at least two reasons. First, it proved to be quite educational in its depiction of Kenyan culture and history, of which I had only superficial knowledge. And second, by introducing me to these people in a rural Kenyan village, a setting far removed from my own life experience, it illustrated that human motivations and behaviors are universal. That鈥檚 a lesson that is worth reinforcing.
July 13, 2021
*Progress comes at a heavy price.*
It was a good book, not exactly life changing though. I enjoyed learning a little about Kenyan culture during and near the end of the colonial Period.
The story dragged on quite a bit and there was a lot of back story but it all melded together wonderfully and I found myself sympathizing with many of the characters.
I thought some of the themes were not to my personal tastes. Revenge. Jealousy. Greed etc. But there was some guilt and redemption which I like to experience through the eyes of characters. Overall I found the characters to be very human in their flaws and was happy to see them show some growth near the end.
It was a good book, not exactly life changing though. I enjoyed learning a little about Kenyan culture during and near the end of the colonial Period.
The story dragged on quite a bit and there was a lot of back story but it all melded together wonderfully and I found myself sympathizing with many of the characters.
I thought some of the themes were not to my personal tastes. Revenge. Jealousy. Greed etc. But there was some guilt and redemption which I like to experience through the eyes of characters. Overall I found the characters to be very human in their flaws and was happy to see them show some growth near the end.
February 23, 2019
12. A Grain of Wheat by Ng农g末 wa Thiong示o
published: 1967, revised 1986
format: 247 page paperback
acquired: 2010 from a now closed little bookstore in Brenham, TX
read: Feb 7-18
time reading: 9 hr 20 min, 2.3 min/page
rating: 4
My Litsy review:
published: 1967, revised 1986
format: 247 page paperback
acquired: 2010 from a now closed little bookstore in Brenham, TX
read: Feb 7-18
time reading: 9 hr 20 min, 2.3 min/page
rating: 4
My Litsy review:
Not sure how to review this, although for some reason I like the sound of the description鈥�"a book on post-colonial Kenya". For all there is about Kenya's Mau Mau Rebellion, it's the way he is able to capture the emotional state of the characters that really struck me鈥攅specially jealousy and disappointment.Even though there is a lot more to say about this than that above, I find it hard to capture what I want. This is a story, through a village, of the Mau Mau Rebellion, the cruel British prison camps where suspected rebels were sometimes tortured to death, reprisals against this village, and the various humiliating ways people found to get through it. And then it's viewed in hindsight, as the day of independence from the UK approaches. But, when I closed the book, my main impression wasn't this history, it was tied specifically to the handful of main characters and their own states. They were what I was left thinking about.
August 24, 2011
Ngugi is one of my favorite authors. This novel is a stunning portrayal of British colonialism in Kenya in the lead up to Independence. What is most powerful is the narration that focuses on several characters through flashbacks about their relation to the British and to the Mau Mau resistance fighters. I especially love the way Ngugi portrays how many of these characters internalize colonialism and shows the damaging consequences of this not only on a personal level, but also on a communal one. The novel is absolutely extraordinary.
April 5, 2023
The best way I can sum up A Grain of Wheat, by Ng农g末 wa Thiong鈥檕, is that it captures the essence of Kenya. Having visted the country on several occasions over the past decade I found the description of the landscape, customs and behavior of the cast of charcters in the novel very familiar. With that said, I am nevertheless unacquainted with the history of Kenya in the run up to it鈥檚 independence from Britain in 1963. The names Mau Mau, Jomo Kenyatta and Uhuru are recognizable without actually knowing the backstory. A Grain of Wheat is an insightful, unadorned portrait of the turbulent period in Kenya鈥檚 past in the run up to the end of colonial rule. The violence, brutality and arrogant superiority of the British colonists is contrasted starkly against the two types of Kenyans that existed back then. The dogged, passionate, and unyielding freedom fighters who fought bravely and died for Kenya鈥檚 freedom and the pragmatic, self-interested and survival-oriented collaborators who were used by the British in their oppression of the former. In many ways the main character, Mugo, pardoxically represents both of sides of the coin. He is revered by many for his unwavering resilence against cruel torture during years of captivity in British concentration camps, yet he harbors a tragic secret that undermines his near heroic status as a freedom fighter. Ng农g末 weaves an intricate web of characters around Mugo, who to varying degrees are all connected to him at different points of his life, including during the tumultuous Mau Mau Uprising. Although, I was not overly impressed with Ng农g末鈥檚 style of writing, which I found rather pragmatic and unflowery, he is undoubtedly a very effective storyteller. He tells several stories within the main narrative, that enrich the tale considerably. Perhaps my only minor gripe with A Grain of Wheat is that it was quite hard to keep track of the myriad charcaters. At some point it was a bit confusing who was who. This made it hard for me to fully become engrossed in the story, especially at the start. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend A Grain of Wheat to any reader looking expand their literary horizons by delving into African literature.
August 5, 2016
Pare c膬 aceast膬 carte porne葯te greoi, mai ales dac膬 ne descurc膬m greu cu numele africane (destul de asem膬n膬toare 卯ntre ele) 葯i cu personajele aferente.
Treptat 卯ns膬, ac葲iunea ne prinde, pentru c膬 autorul kenyan este un excelent m芒nuitor al cuvintelor 葯i ac葲iunilor, un demn ilustrator al istoriei 葲膬rii sale.
Ac葲iunea principal膬 se desf膬葯oar膬 卯n jurul datei independen葲ei Kenyei (1963), pe c芒nd fiecare comunitate 卯葯i organizeaz膬 propria ceremonie pentru celebrarea Uhuru. 脦ntr-un s膬tuc, conflictele sunt deschise 葯i r膬nile sunt ad芒nci, at芒t 卯ntre albi 葯i negri, c芒t 葯i interiorul comunit膬葲ii de culoare. Nimeni nu poate uita sacrificiile f膬cute de unele familii, anii lungi de lag膬r 葯i de torturi, pornite 卯nc膬 din 1952, odat膬 cu revolta etnicilor kikuyu (cunoscut膬 sub numele de Mau Mau).
Mul葲i dintre ei ascund secrete teribile, iar eroii satului se pot transforma fie 卯n zei, fie 卯n personaje negative. 脦n plus, co葯marurile din trecut au determinat schimbarea rela葲iilor familiale sau din societate, iar cei care au colaborat cu albii sunt cei mai acuza葲i.
O radiografie foarte bun膬 a sf芒r葯itului Kenyei coloniale.
Treptat 卯ns膬, ac葲iunea ne prinde, pentru c膬 autorul kenyan este un excelent m芒nuitor al cuvintelor 葯i ac葲iunilor, un demn ilustrator al istoriei 葲膬rii sale.
Ac葲iunea principal膬 se desf膬葯oar膬 卯n jurul datei independen葲ei Kenyei (1963), pe c芒nd fiecare comunitate 卯葯i organizeaz膬 propria ceremonie pentru celebrarea Uhuru. 脦ntr-un s膬tuc, conflictele sunt deschise 葯i r膬nile sunt ad芒nci, at芒t 卯ntre albi 葯i negri, c芒t 葯i interiorul comunit膬葲ii de culoare. Nimeni nu poate uita sacrificiile f膬cute de unele familii, anii lungi de lag膬r 葯i de torturi, pornite 卯nc膬 din 1952, odat膬 cu revolta etnicilor kikuyu (cunoscut膬 sub numele de Mau Mau).
Mul葲i dintre ei ascund secrete teribile, iar eroii satului se pot transforma fie 卯n zei, fie 卯n personaje negative. 脦n plus, co葯marurile din trecut au determinat schimbarea rela葲iilor familiale sau din societate, iar cei care au colaborat cu albii sunt cei mai acuza葲i.
O radiografie foarte bun膬 a sf芒r葯itului Kenyei coloniale.
February 16, 2018
An impressive novel that takes a bit of concentration to figure out the various characters and changes in the time of the event.
The story of the years leading up to Kenya's independence is told through a set of characters who represent the oppressor, the freedom fighter, the unwitting hero, and those who were traitors.
The author showed the impact of the fight for independence on all of these characters and also of the communities they lived in. Written in only three years after independence, the author also told of the greed of the whites would be replaced by the greed of those who replaced them and while the book ended in a small piece of hope it also ended with many unanswered questions on the future.
The story of the years leading up to Kenya's independence is told through a set of characters who represent the oppressor, the freedom fighter, the unwitting hero, and those who were traitors.
The author showed the impact of the fight for independence on all of these characters and also of the communities they lived in. Written in only three years after independence, the author also told of the greed of the whites would be replaced by the greed of those who replaced them and while the book ended in a small piece of hope it also ended with many unanswered questions on the future.
July 16, 2020
Es una gran novela, y muy bien narrada, adem谩s.
La historia que cuenta, tanto la ficticia, como el trasfondo hist贸rico de los 煤ltimos a帽os de la Kenia colonizada y la obtenci贸n de la ansiada y merecida independencia el 12 de diciembre de 1963 me han resultado interesant铆simos.
Adem谩s, Thiong'o demuestra sus habilidades como narrador, no s贸lo en la construcci贸n de personajes, que est谩n trabajad铆simos y presentan varias capas, lo cual, trat谩ndose de una novela coral como la que nos ocupa ya es en s铆 mismo un m茅rito, sino en la estructura de la trama: h谩bilmente logra mostrarnos un panorama hist贸rico y el pasado de los personajes en una acci贸n presente que, en realidad, transcurre s贸lo en tres d铆as. Y logra hacerlo con un uso muy h谩bil de la retrospectiva, sin que en ning煤n momento lastre el ritmo de la novela.
Hay que ser muy buen escritor para conseguirlo, como tambi茅n hay que serlo para alternar puntos de vista, o pasar de una narraci贸n en tercera persona a otros pasajes en primera persona del plural, y hacerlo bien, logrando con ello que el lector se sienta m谩s ligado a lo que cuenta, m谩s part铆cipe.
Es una historia de amor, de muchos tipos de amor (a la tierra, a la pareja, a un ideal, a la tradici贸n y cultura de tu pueblo), de traici贸n, de muchos tipos de traici贸n (a la patria, al movimiento, incluso a los seres que amas), de valor, de cobard铆a, de sufrimiento, de perserverencia, de odios enconados, resentimiento, esperanza... de pasiones humanas, al fin y al cabo. Pero sobre todo, es una historia que te hace plantearte qu茅 es, realmente, la libertad, cu谩nto est谩 uno dispuesto a pagar por ella... y si el sacrificio merece la pena, o si el resultado es el esperado.
Como he dicho los personajes est谩n muy bien perfilados, y me ha fascinado c贸mo Ngugi Wa Thiong'o logra dar voz y pensamiento coherente a hombres, mujeres, ancianos, y a blancos, sin caer en ning煤n caso en el manique铆smo.
Aunque, si tuviera que escoger alg煤n personaje, me quedar铆a con el atormentado Mugo, paradigma del "h茅roe antiheroico", fuerte y vulnerable, cobarde y valiente... un ox铆moron en s铆 mismo.
Y tambi茅n con Mumbi, un personaje femenino que me ha parecido fascinante.
As铆 pues... 驴por qu茅 no le pongo las 5 estrellas?
Porque pese a sus m煤ltiples virtudes, y son muchas, no me ha parecido una novela redonda... durante mucho tiempo mientras la le铆a, notaba que me faltaba algo.
驴Y qu茅 le faltaba para ser una novela redonda?
A mi juicio, y esta es una valoraci贸n absolutamente subjetiva (como todas las que hago, por otro lado), le falta coraz贸n.
Es una novela que es todo cerebro, pero nada coraz贸n.
Es brillante, lo ves desde el primer momento en que empiezas a leerla, te gusta, te interesa, incluso te mantiene intrigado por conocer esos secretos que ocultan muchos de los personajes, y que poco a poco se nos ir谩n desvelando... pero no te emociona. Te mueve, pero no te conmueve.
No s茅 si soy capaz de explicarlo mejor, pero esa es la sensaci贸n que me ha transmitido.
En un principio cre铆a que a lo mejor se deb铆a al estilo sobrio, conciso, quir煤rgico del autor... pero va m谩s all谩. Supongo que, para no resultar completamente parcial, el autor intent贸 distanciarse algo de la narraci贸n... pero acab贸 formando un muro con el lector que hace que dif铆cilmente te subyugues a la historia, te entregues completamente a ella.
Intelectualmente te llega, hace plantearte y cuestionarte much铆simas cosas... pero no llega a emocionarte, conmoverte... no llega a las entra帽as.
Y un detalle que me ha generado algo de rechazo, es como en varios pasajes de la novela se hace una normalizaci贸n (e incluso uno de los personajes llega a oponerse a su cr铆tica y cuestionamiento, por ser estos provenientes de la cultura colonial europea) de la ablaci贸n femenina. Que s铆, que ya s茅 que era otra 茅poca, otra cultura... pero lo siento, es algo que me puede y que me hac铆a torcer el gesto.
Por lo dem谩s, me parece una novela muy meritoria, entiendo perfectamente que est茅 considerada como una de las mejores novelas de la literatura africana del s. XX, y creo que cualquier lector interesado en este tipo de literatura no se la deber铆a perder.
La historia que cuenta, tanto la ficticia, como el trasfondo hist贸rico de los 煤ltimos a帽os de la Kenia colonizada y la obtenci贸n de la ansiada y merecida independencia el 12 de diciembre de 1963 me han resultado interesant铆simos.
Adem谩s, Thiong'o demuestra sus habilidades como narrador, no s贸lo en la construcci贸n de personajes, que est谩n trabajad铆simos y presentan varias capas, lo cual, trat谩ndose de una novela coral como la que nos ocupa ya es en s铆 mismo un m茅rito, sino en la estructura de la trama: h谩bilmente logra mostrarnos un panorama hist贸rico y el pasado de los personajes en una acci贸n presente que, en realidad, transcurre s贸lo en tres d铆as. Y logra hacerlo con un uso muy h谩bil de la retrospectiva, sin que en ning煤n momento lastre el ritmo de la novela.
Hay que ser muy buen escritor para conseguirlo, como tambi茅n hay que serlo para alternar puntos de vista, o pasar de una narraci贸n en tercera persona a otros pasajes en primera persona del plural, y hacerlo bien, logrando con ello que el lector se sienta m谩s ligado a lo que cuenta, m谩s part铆cipe.
Es una historia de amor, de muchos tipos de amor (a la tierra, a la pareja, a un ideal, a la tradici贸n y cultura de tu pueblo), de traici贸n, de muchos tipos de traici贸n (a la patria, al movimiento, incluso a los seres que amas), de valor, de cobard铆a, de sufrimiento, de perserverencia, de odios enconados, resentimiento, esperanza... de pasiones humanas, al fin y al cabo. Pero sobre todo, es una historia que te hace plantearte qu茅 es, realmente, la libertad, cu谩nto est谩 uno dispuesto a pagar por ella... y si el sacrificio merece la pena, o si el resultado es el esperado.
Como he dicho los personajes est谩n muy bien perfilados, y me ha fascinado c贸mo Ngugi Wa Thiong'o logra dar voz y pensamiento coherente a hombres, mujeres, ancianos, y a blancos, sin caer en ning煤n caso en el manique铆smo.
Aunque, si tuviera que escoger alg煤n personaje, me quedar铆a con el atormentado Mugo, paradigma del "h茅roe antiheroico", fuerte y vulnerable, cobarde y valiente... un ox铆moron en s铆 mismo.
Y tambi茅n con Mumbi, un personaje femenino que me ha parecido fascinante.
As铆 pues... 驴por qu茅 no le pongo las 5 estrellas?
Porque pese a sus m煤ltiples virtudes, y son muchas, no me ha parecido una novela redonda... durante mucho tiempo mientras la le铆a, notaba que me faltaba algo.
驴Y qu茅 le faltaba para ser una novela redonda?
A mi juicio, y esta es una valoraci贸n absolutamente subjetiva (como todas las que hago, por otro lado), le falta coraz贸n.
Es una novela que es todo cerebro, pero nada coraz贸n.
Es brillante, lo ves desde el primer momento en que empiezas a leerla, te gusta, te interesa, incluso te mantiene intrigado por conocer esos secretos que ocultan muchos de los personajes, y que poco a poco se nos ir谩n desvelando... pero no te emociona. Te mueve, pero no te conmueve.
No s茅 si soy capaz de explicarlo mejor, pero esa es la sensaci贸n que me ha transmitido.
En un principio cre铆a que a lo mejor se deb铆a al estilo sobrio, conciso, quir煤rgico del autor... pero va m谩s all谩. Supongo que, para no resultar completamente parcial, el autor intent贸 distanciarse algo de la narraci贸n... pero acab贸 formando un muro con el lector que hace que dif铆cilmente te subyugues a la historia, te entregues completamente a ella.
Intelectualmente te llega, hace plantearte y cuestionarte much铆simas cosas... pero no llega a emocionarte, conmoverte... no llega a las entra帽as.
Y un detalle que me ha generado algo de rechazo, es como en varios pasajes de la novela se hace una normalizaci贸n (e incluso uno de los personajes llega a oponerse a su cr铆tica y cuestionamiento, por ser estos provenientes de la cultura colonial europea) de la ablaci贸n femenina. Que s铆, que ya s茅 que era otra 茅poca, otra cultura... pero lo siento, es algo que me puede y que me hac铆a torcer el gesto.
Por lo dem谩s, me parece una novela muy meritoria, entiendo perfectamente que est茅 considerada como una de las mejores novelas de la literatura africana del s. XX, y creo que cualquier lector interesado en este tipo de literatura no se la deber铆a perder.
January 8, 2009
A Grain of Wheat is a novel about the inhabitants of a village in Kenya in 1963 in the last few days before the celebrations for Uhuru 鈥� that is, Kenyan independence. It was originally published in 1967, so the material was completely current at the time, although after finishing it that I read in the introduction that
Ng农g末 revised A Grain of Wheat in 1987, to make the 鈥榳orld outlook鈥� of his peasants more in line with his ideas of the historical triumph of the oppressed.
and that
Ng农g末 has said of the 1967 version of A Grain of Wheat that his 鈥榩easant and worker characters鈥� had the 鈥榲acillating mentality of the petite bourgeoisie鈥�.
As far as I can gather, the revisions were relatively minor, and I guess I support the author鈥檚 right to mess around with his earlier work if he wants to, but I still find it vaguely frustrating not knowing what was what. And it seems like an odd thing to do, to me. But there you go.
Incidentally, Ng农g末鈥檚 early work, including this book, was written in English, but for the past 30 years or so he has written in G末k霉y农. Rejecting the colonial language has obvious political and social significance, but to switch from a language with hundreds of millions of speakers to one which is a minority language even in Kenya is still a striking decision.
The characters in the book are all dealing with the aftermath of the Mau Mau rebellion, having lost family members or having suffered detention, forced labour and torture. There鈥檚 something slightly topical about that at the moment; not just because we recently learned that Barack Obama鈥檚 grandfather was tortured by the British at that period, but also because insurgents being detained without trial and tortured have been in the news recently.
I didn鈥檛 read the book, though, as being principally about the relationship between colonist and colonised. Rather, it鈥檚 about the relationships between the Africans and the way they鈥檝e been affected by events. Some of them worked for the British; others fought them. A man returns to his wife after years away in prison to find she has had a baby by another man. No one is left untouched. All this is told in flashback, so we gradually learn how characters became the way they are.
Obviously none of this would have happened if it wasn鈥檛 for the British, so they (we) are central in that sense, but still, the novel is building up to Uhuru, when the young Duke of Edinburgh will sit in a stadium in Nairobi and watch the flags changing over, and the British part of the story will peter out. I read the novel as being about what is left behind; in that sense it reminded me of How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone, Sa拧a Stani拧i膰鈥檚 novel about Yugoslavia. A war of independence against a colonial power is I suppose a peculiar kind of civil war, and it tears apart the fabric of the country in a similar way.
Ng农g末 revised A Grain of Wheat in 1987, to make the 鈥榳orld outlook鈥� of his peasants more in line with his ideas of the historical triumph of the oppressed.
and that
Ng农g末 has said of the 1967 version of A Grain of Wheat that his 鈥榩easant and worker characters鈥� had the 鈥榲acillating mentality of the petite bourgeoisie鈥�.
As far as I can gather, the revisions were relatively minor, and I guess I support the author鈥檚 right to mess around with his earlier work if he wants to, but I still find it vaguely frustrating not knowing what was what. And it seems like an odd thing to do, to me. But there you go.
Incidentally, Ng农g末鈥檚 early work, including this book, was written in English, but for the past 30 years or so he has written in G末k霉y农. Rejecting the colonial language has obvious political and social significance, but to switch from a language with hundreds of millions of speakers to one which is a minority language even in Kenya is still a striking decision.
The characters in the book are all dealing with the aftermath of the Mau Mau rebellion, having lost family members or having suffered detention, forced labour and torture. There鈥檚 something slightly topical about that at the moment; not just because we recently learned that Barack Obama鈥檚 grandfather was tortured by the British at that period, but also because insurgents being detained without trial and tortured have been in the news recently.
I didn鈥檛 read the book, though, as being principally about the relationship between colonist and colonised. Rather, it鈥檚 about the relationships between the Africans and the way they鈥檝e been affected by events. Some of them worked for the British; others fought them. A man returns to his wife after years away in prison to find she has had a baby by another man. No one is left untouched. All this is told in flashback, so we gradually learn how characters became the way they are.
Obviously none of this would have happened if it wasn鈥檛 for the British, so they (we) are central in that sense, but still, the novel is building up to Uhuru, when the young Duke of Edinburgh will sit in a stadium in Nairobi and watch the flags changing over, and the British part of the story will peter out. I read the novel as being about what is left behind; in that sense it reminded me of How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone, Sa拧a Stani拧i膰鈥檚 novel about Yugoslavia. A war of independence against a colonial power is I suppose a peculiar kind of civil war, and it tears apart the fabric of the country in a similar way.
November 5, 2017
All along I avoided reading writers who use the stream of unconsciousness , but this one couldn't but finish it.. and I seriously have no idea how I have ..
I really hated the book and loved it at the same time .. it is a wide door , a huge one to the African Lit , and Civ ..
the mere description of their lives , made me want to visit Kenya.
Wa thiong'o is such a great writer , and I loved his philosophy , I loved how he made me as an Algerian reader , believe in the black power over the Whitman .
So basically this book talk of the independent day , and how so many flashbacks to arrive to the Uhuru ( freedom ) day .
Betrayal , love , determinism , friendship , and so many other subject has been tackled by James Wa thiong'o.
I struggled Lot with names of people , and places .like the struggle was real.
Still can't believe I finished it.
I really hated the book and loved it at the same time .. it is a wide door , a huge one to the African Lit , and Civ ..
the mere description of their lives , made me want to visit Kenya.
Wa thiong'o is such a great writer , and I loved his philosophy , I loved how he made me as an Algerian reader , believe in the black power over the Whitman .
So basically this book talk of the independent day , and how so many flashbacks to arrive to the Uhuru ( freedom ) day .
Betrayal , love , determinism , friendship , and so many other subject has been tackled by James Wa thiong'o.
I struggled Lot with names of people , and places .like the struggle was real.
Still can't believe I finished it.
April 19, 2025
So compelling. A nuanced and heartbreaking character study of a group of villagers in Thabai, Kenya on the eve of independence from the British. Book steered clear from moralizing and instead depicted the dilemmas that spring from balancing the moral imperative of resistance with the demands of survival and the desire to live a whole life with those ones love.
February 14, 2019
2/5stars
I'm sure this is great but I legit didn't understand a single thing in this book and could barely follow class discussion even though I'd read every word of this since I need to write an essay.
I'm sure this is great but I legit didn't understand a single thing in this book and could barely follow class discussion even though I'd read every word of this since I need to write an essay.
June 21, 2023
Around the World Reading Challenge: KENYA
===
This book is set in a small village in the wake of the Mau Mau rebellion and on the cusp of Kenya's independence from Britain in the early 1960s, which isn't a period I'm particularly knowledgeable about and made for an interesting read. The narrative is told from different villagers and all takes place over the course of a week or so, though there are frequent flashbacks. They all have secrets and issues, though I could never entirely sympathize with any of their interpersonal dramas. I definitely had the sense that my different cultural context was causing me to come to judgements and conclusions that were not necessarily in line with how the author or the book characters saw particular events, especially inter-personal ones, which was an interesting experience. I thought it was an interesting read, though I can't say I particularly loved it.
===
This book is set in a small village in the wake of the Mau Mau rebellion and on the cusp of Kenya's independence from Britain in the early 1960s, which isn't a period I'm particularly knowledgeable about and made for an interesting read. The narrative is told from different villagers and all takes place over the course of a week or so, though there are frequent flashbacks. They all have secrets and issues, though I could never entirely sympathize with any of their interpersonal dramas. I definitely had the sense that my different cultural context was causing me to come to judgements and conclusions that were not necessarily in line with how the author or the book characters saw particular events, especially inter-personal ones, which was an interesting experience. I thought it was an interesting read, though I can't say I particularly loved it.
May 13, 2025
A more character driven, thoughtful and personal take on revolution and decolonisation. The book brings to life the dilemmas, heartbreaks and personal vendettas that simmer under the surface of the freedom fight. Humanising, not moralising, and very enjoyable.
October 17, 2011
A masterpiece. The characters are sharply drawn and the plot is indisputably powerful. I am very moved by the depth of characterization (helped along by the seamless omniscient point of view; this gently reminds readers of the inner struggles, innate morality, and complexity of even the characters (and/or actions) we are initially eager to hate.
Perhaps I'm oversimplifying something that I don't understand fully, but I would say that the thrust of Ngugi's argument is that the political situation during the Kenyan rebellion against the UK destroyed all individuals involved, to greater or lesser extent, and that though some of the choices people made may seem reprehensible, they all had their root in some combination of the hope, selfishness, love, fear, and courage that we all harbor just beneath the surface.
I've discovered that I'm strongly drawn to literature examining important historical moments from the point of view of fictional characters, and I'm a strong believer that in impossibly inhumane situations like this one, almost any personal choice or action is in fact a forced one, a reaction -- and, as such, can be forgiven or pardoned on some level if not condoned. Today, in fact, I came across a question that Tzvetan Todorov asks in a book of his: is it true that "all traces of moral life evaporate as men become beasts locked in a merciless struggle for survival"?
Though Ngugi presents us with some confusing moments, every page of the book is absorbing and dramatic, full of a certain tension -- rather surprisingly -- a la Camus.
Two hints that do not bear directly on the work itself:
1. Like another reviewer on 欧宝娱乐, I found a brief list of characters (along with the page of first mention) to be very helpful in the first 100 pages or so. Many of the minor characters mentioned early on assume some unanticipated significance later.
2. I bought my copy of this book used and would highly recommend avoiding the old Heinemann "African Writers Series" edition. I am glad to see that Penguin has published this book (2010) and hope that it's not riddled with the same meaning-altering typos that the Heinemann is; this work deserves a well-edited publication. I am also continually puzzled by the drawing of the young white man on the cover. I can't imagine whose representation he could be, and it's a bit disturbing to keep seeing him when I open the book.
Perhaps I'm oversimplifying something that I don't understand fully, but I would say that the thrust of Ngugi's argument is that the political situation during the Kenyan rebellion against the UK destroyed all individuals involved, to greater or lesser extent, and that though some of the choices people made may seem reprehensible, they all had their root in some combination of the hope, selfishness, love, fear, and courage that we all harbor just beneath the surface.
I've discovered that I'm strongly drawn to literature examining important historical moments from the point of view of fictional characters, and I'm a strong believer that in impossibly inhumane situations like this one, almost any personal choice or action is in fact a forced one, a reaction -- and, as such, can be forgiven or pardoned on some level if not condoned. Today, in fact, I came across a question that Tzvetan Todorov asks in a book of his: is it true that "all traces of moral life evaporate as men become beasts locked in a merciless struggle for survival"?
Though Ngugi presents us with some confusing moments, every page of the book is absorbing and dramatic, full of a certain tension -- rather surprisingly -- a la Camus.
Two hints that do not bear directly on the work itself:
1. Like another reviewer on 欧宝娱乐, I found a brief list of characters (along with the page of first mention) to be very helpful in the first 100 pages or so. Many of the minor characters mentioned early on assume some unanticipated significance later.
2. I bought my copy of this book used and would highly recommend avoiding the old Heinemann "African Writers Series" edition. I am glad to see that Penguin has published this book (2010) and hope that it's not riddled with the same meaning-altering typos that the Heinemann is; this work deserves a well-edited publication. I am also continually puzzled by the drawing of the young white man on the cover. I can't imagine whose representation he could be, and it's a bit disturbing to keep seeing him when I open the book.
June 11, 2015
Astonishingly good. I am no expert on African literature--or any literature for that matter--and bought this as a blind buy at my local, pure and simple. In fact, I probably bought it on the basis of his name, shallow, yes, but it's served me well in the past: buy everything you can't pronounce.
Ngugi's novel is a story of the last few days before Kenya became independent. The numerous characters have colliding and intersecting storylines that weave in and out of the themes of desperation, betrayal, dissatisfaction and, ultimately, failure. Stupid white colonials and black freedom-fighters alike take pause to sit back and wonder, what the hell did we just do? Very bleak and dark.
The structure is what won me over. I'm not a huge fan of nested stories--narratives breaking off into plot after plot--but Ngugi does this with such grace and darkness that you don't even really notice until 40 pages later when it returns to the original conversation. Time is smeared in this novel, paean to a period when much was uncertain, except for one thing: most people are terrible.
Ngugi's novel is a story of the last few days before Kenya became independent. The numerous characters have colliding and intersecting storylines that weave in and out of the themes of desperation, betrayal, dissatisfaction and, ultimately, failure. Stupid white colonials and black freedom-fighters alike take pause to sit back and wonder, what the hell did we just do? Very bleak and dark.
The structure is what won me over. I'm not a huge fan of nested stories--narratives breaking off into plot after plot--but Ngugi does this with such grace and darkness that you don't even really notice until 40 pages later when it returns to the original conversation. Time is smeared in this novel, paean to a period when much was uncertain, except for one thing: most people are terrible.
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