Upon being longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2021, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o speaks to us about The Perfect Nine, and how language is a treasury of beauty
- Longlisted
- The International Booker Prize 2021
- Published by Harvill Secker, Vintage
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Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o tells the story of the founding of the Gĩkũyũ people of Kenya, from a strongly feminist perspective
A verse narrative, blending folklore, mythology, adventure, and allegory, The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi chronicles the efforts the Gĩkũyũ founders make to find partners for their famously beautiful daughters - The Perfect Nine - and the challenges they set for the 99 suitors who seek their hands in marriage. The epic has all the elements of adventure, with suspense, danger, humour and sacrifice.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's books include the novels Petals of Blood, for which he was imprisoned by the Kenyan government in 1977
More about Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Features
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