Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

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A new collection of literary criticism and brilliant insights from one of the giants of contemporary thinking

Who owns language? In Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas, Ngugi wa Thiong'o presents a series of essays that build on his vast wealth of work on language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity. Here, in a book that is intricate, nuanced and accessible, he reaffirms the revolutionary power of African languages to fight back against both the psychic and material impacts of colonialism, past and present.

With immense relevance to our present moment, Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas is both a brilliant distillation of the enduring themes of Ngugi’s work, and a vital addition to the library of one of the world’s greatest and most provocative living writers.

Published: 21 August 2025
ISBN: 9781837310494
Imprint: Penguin eBooks
Format: EBook
Pages: 224

Categories:

Literature: history & criticism

About the author

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is one of the leading writers and scholars at work in the world today. His books include the novels Petals of Blood, for which he was imprisoned by the Kenyan government in 1977, A Grain of Wheat and Wizard of the Crow; the memoirs, Dreams in a Time of War, In the House of the Interpreter and Birth of a Dream Weaver; and the essays, Decolonizing the Mind, Something Torn and New and Globalectics. Recipient of many honours, among them ten honorary doctorates, he is currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.