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Product Description
After a terrible murder in the village of Ilmorog four suspects are placed in detention: Munira the headmaster; Abdullah the storekeeper; Karega the assistant teacher and 'barmaid' Wanja. The lives of these four characters are inextricably linked with the lives of the three murder victims, the fortunes of Ilmorog and with the fate of Kenya itself. Published to great controversy in 1977, PETALS OF BLOOD is as much a whodunnit as a political novel and satire. Ngugi unfolds a human landscape that is both beautiful and horrifying, as tribalism and village life are manipulated in the name of progress by the cynical bureaucrats who came to power as heroes of liberation.
About the Author
Kenyan novelist and playwright Ngugi wa Thiong'o is the author of THE RIVER BETWEEN, A GRAIN OF WHEAT and PETALS OF BLOOD all available as Modern Classics. Ngugi was chair of the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi from 1972 to 1977. He left Kenya in 1982 and taught at various universities in the United States before he became professor of comparative literature and performance studies at New York University in 1992.
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They came for him that Sunday. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
They came for him that Sunday. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sadly, former British Colonies nearly exclusively focussed their history lessons on Britain and Europe and so reading this excellent novel showed up my poor knowledge of African history. This was a book full of detail and depth which understandably had its critics from the New Fat Cats of post Kenyan independence. My only criticism was that the relatively recent edition I read did not have a glossary for the African words used and also notes about some of the real people mentioned in the novel as it would have made this very informative novel even more rewarding. The book too shows its time of writing (early 1970's) and some of the political jibes Ngugi makes are not as subtle as one might read if this book was written today. But these are minor faults compared to the rich tapestry Ngugi reveals of Kenya in the 1960's. The four main characters accused of murder: Wanja, Karega, Munira and Abdullah are wonderfuly developed as their intriguing lives and secrets are revealed. I strongly recommend this novel especially for anyone like me who had an overly biased British history education and wants to, albeit belatedly, understand African history.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Yes this book is set in Kenya! It's a classic on many university reading lists when studying imperialism, as it is about Mau mau. But don't let that put you off... It's a damn good book...
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I believe this book to be set in Kenya, rather than Nigeria as above stated, as Nugugi is an author of Kenyan descent.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Back to the roots
I titled this review "back to the roots" because I am African and want to read and know more about Africa and I think that one cannot think of African Literature without mentioning... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2010 by Rev. V. Kondo
Not as good as Grain of Wheat
This offering by Ngugi is not as powerful as his earlier work "A Grain of Wheat" but nevertheless it is still a passable read. Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2007 by Ibrahim Ali
Petals of Blood is an immensely powerful book
I lived in the world of this book for some time and was often on the point of tears.
Published on 13 Jun 2006 by epower
Powerful and political
Petals of Blood is a metaphor of the violence suffered by the Nigerians when colonisation took place. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2001
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