Globalectics by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

Globalectics by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

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Globalectics by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

A masterful writer working in many genres, Ngugi wa Thiong'o entered the East African literary scene in 1962 with the performance of his first major play, The Black Hermit, at the National Theatre in Uganda. In 1977 he was imprisoned after his most controversial work, Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want), produced in Nairobi, sharply criticized the injustices of Kenyan society and unequivocally championed the causes of ordinary citizens. Following his release, Ngugi decided to write only in his native Gikuyu, communicating with Kenyans in one of the many languages of their daily lives, and today he is known as one of the most outspoken intellectuals working in postcolonial theory and the global postcolonial movement. In this volume, Ngugi wa Thiong'o summarizes and develops a cross-section of the issues he has grappled with in his work, which deploys a strategy of imagery, language, folklore, and character to "decolonize the mind." Ngugi confronts the politics of language in African writing; the problem of linguistic imperialism and literature's ability to resist it; the difficult balance between orality, or "orature," and writing, or "literature"; the tension between national and world literature; and the role of the literary curriculum in both reaffirming and undermining the dominance of the Western canon. Throughout, he engages a range of philosophers and theorists writing on power and postcolonial creativity, including Hegel, Marx, Levi-Strauss, and Aime Cesaire. Yet his explorations remain grounded in his own experiences with literature (and orature) and reworks the difficult dialectics of theory into richly evocative prose.
Globalectics allows us to read world literature through Ngugi's sharp and compassionate eyesPart memoir, part magisterial survey, and entirely engrossing, this book is a capstone to a long and brilliant career. -- Christopher L. Miller, Yale University In an ever-shrinking world, this book demonstrated the need to understand the similarities and differences in the stories we tell each other. Publishers Weekly Ngugi's writing style seamlessly blends personal narratives with complex theoretical discussions, taking the reader on a journey that combines his indisputable literary skills with an acute awareness of the theoretical landscape. -- Annika Hughes ID: International Dialogue Globalectics is an outstandingly succinct, grounded, and wide-reaching study that will be of interest, and an inspiration, to many scholars, especially those working and teaching in the fields of globalization and of postcolonial and comparative literary studies. -- Erica Lombard MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW
Ngugi wa Thiong'o was born in Limuru, Kenya, in 1938, was educated at the Alliance High School, Kikuyu, at Makerere University, Uganda and at the University of Leeds.
His novel, Weep Not, Child, was published in 1964 and this was followed by The River Between (1965), A Grain of Wheat (1967), and Petals of Blood (1977). Devil on the Cross (1980), was conceived and written during the author's one-year detention in prison, in Kenya, where he was held without trial after the performance by peasants and workers of his play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want). This was his first work to be published in his own language, Gikutu, and then translated into English and many other languages. His novel Matigari, was published in Gikuyu in Kenya in 1986.

The author has also written collections of short stories, plays and numerous essays. Ngugi is an active campaigner for the African language and form, and he writes, travels and lectures extensively on this theme. His work is known throughout the world and has made powerful impact both at home and overseas.


He now lives and works in the United States, writing and lecturing, and is a Professor at New York University.
SKU Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13 9780231159517
ISBN 10 023115951X
Titel Globalectics
Autor Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
Serie The Wellek Library Lectures
Buchzustand Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart Paperback
Verlag Columbia University Press
Erscheinungsjahr 2014-05-20
Seitenanzahl 120
Hinweis auf dem Einband Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis Nicht verfügbar