First-hand accounts of how Ngugi wa Thiong'o's life and work have intersected, and the multiple forces that have converged to make him one of the greatest writers to come out of Africa in the twentieth century.This collection of essays reflects on the life and work of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who celebrated his 80th birthday in 2018. Drawing from a wide range of contributors, including writers, critics, publishers and activists, the volume traces the emergence of Ngugi as a novelist in the early 1960s, his contribution to the African culture of letters at its moment of inception, and his global artistic life in the twenty-first century. Here we have both personal andcritical reflections on the different phases of the writer's life: there are poems from friends and admirers, commentaries from his co-workers in public theatre in Kenya in the 1970s and 1980s, and from his political associates in the fight for democracy, and contributions on his role as an intellectual of decolonization, as well as his experiences in the global art world. Included also are essays on Ngugi's role outside the academy, in the world of education, community theatre, and activism. In addition to tributes from other authors who were influenced by Ngugi, the collection contains hitherto unknown materials that are appearing in English for the first time. Both a celebration of the writer, and a rethinking of his legacy, this book brings together three generations of Ngugi readers. We have memories and recollections from the people he worked with closely in the 1960s, the students that he taught atthe University of Nairobi in the 1970s, his political associates during his exile in the 1980s, and the people who worked with him as he embarked on a new life and career in the United States in the 1990s. First-hand accounts reveal how Ngugi's life and work have intersected, and the multiple forces that have converged to make him one of the greatest writers to come out of Africa in the twentieth century. Simon Gikandi is Robert Schirmer Professor of English, Princeton University. He is President of the MLA and was editor of its journal PMLA, from 2011-2016. Ndirangu Wachanga is Professor of Media Studies and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin. He is also the authorized documentary biographer of Professors Ali A. Mazrui, Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Micere Mugo.

PrefaceChronologyIntroduction: Ngugi wa Thiong'o - Reflecting on a Life in Writing - Simon GikandiNgugi at work - Ndirangu WachangaPART I SERENADES & BEGINNINGSHyperbolic praise poetry for Ngugi @ 80: In imitation of African orature - Micere Githae MugoA Song at Dawn [for Ngugi wa Thiong'o] - Tsitsi JajiNgugi in Eritrea - Charles CantalupoUp from Makerere: On the publication of Weep Not, Child - Susan Nalugwa KiguliEncountering Ngugi at Leeds: An interview with Peter Nazareth - Roland NasasiraThe book that made me: On Weep Not, Child - Simon GikandiNote from a literary son - Peter KimaniWhat is in a name? - Ime IkkidehIn exile: Between Britain & Kenya - Odhiambo Levin OpiyoPART II MEMORIES, RECOLLECTIONS & TRIBUTESRemembering early conversations with Ngugi - Bernth LindforsNgugi wa Thiong'o at 80: Pongezi - Congratulations! - Eddah GachukiaNgugi at 80: Inspiring encounters - Willy MutungaNgugi in the '70s at the University of Nairobi - Margaretta wa GacheruProfessor, you are in Ngugi's book - Rhonda Cobham-Sander and Reinhard W. SanderMuraata, Murutani, na Muthikiriria - Friend, teacher & listener - Ann BierstekerFear & trepidation in Asmara: Meeting Ngugi - Jane PlastowNgugi wa Thiong'o: A true story - Grant FarredNgugi wa Thiong'o: Tribute on his 80th birthday - Chege GithioraPART III WORKING WITH NGUGINgugi & the decolonization of publishing - James CurreyThe turning point: Ngugi wa Thiong'o & his publisher - Henry ChakavaWorking with Ngugi wa Thiong'o - Sultan SomjeeRecollections of Mutiiri:The beginnings - Kimani NjoguPART IV THE WRITER, THE CRITIC & THE WORLDBricklayer & architect of a world to come - Emilia IleviaRevisioning Goethe's idea of "World Literature": Commendation address on the awarding of Dr. Phil. h.c. to Professor Ngugi wa Thiong'o - Anne AdamsGlobalectics: Beyond postcoloniality & engaging the Caribbean - Carole Boyce DaviesNgugi & the quest for a linguistic paradigm shift: Some reflections - Alamin MazruiAutobiographical prototypes in Ngugi wa Thiong'o's early fiction & drama - Gichingiri NdigirigiHomecoming: The idea of return in the works of Ngugi wa Thiong'o - James OgudeGucookia Ruui Mukaro - Redirecting the river back to its rightful course - Kiarii KamauMuthoni's afterlives - Grace A. MusilaPART V THE OTHER NGUGIKwa Grant Kamenju: Hotuba ya kuipokea digrii ya heshima ya uzamifu kutoka chuo kikuu cha Dar es Salaam - Ngugi wa Thiong'oWasomi, lugha za Ulaya na za Kiafrika: Kati ya kuweza na kuwezwa - Ngugi wa Thiong'oAsia in My Life - Ngugi wa Thiong'oNdai ya Wendo [A Riddle of Love] - Ngugi wa Thiong'oAPPENDIXESA. Review of Wizard of the Crow: Ngugi's homecoming gift to Kenyans [Cabral Pinto /Willy Mutunga] - Willy MutungaB. Directing the river back to its course - Kiarii KamauC. For Grant Kamenju - Ngugi wa Thiong'oD. Intellectuals, European & African Languages: Between enslavement & empowerment - Ngugi wa Thiong'oE. A Riddle of Love - Ngugi wa Thiong'oBibliography of Ngugi's Primary Works