The River Between (Penguin Modern Classics) - Softcover

Wa Thiong'o, Ngugi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141187034 ISBN 13: 9780141187037

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2002

Synopsis

THE RIVER BETWEEN explores life on the Makuyu and Kameno ridges of Kenya in the early days of white settlement. Faced with an alluring, new religion and 'magical' customs, the Gikuyu people are torn between those who fear the unknown and those who see beyond it. Some fellow Joshua and his fiery brand of Christianity while others proudly pursue tribal independence. In the midst of this disunity stands Waiyaki, a dedicated visionary born to a line of prophets. He struggles to educate the tribe- a task he sees as the only unifying link between the two factions - but his plans for the future raise issues which will determine both his own and the Gikuyu's survival.

About this title

Review:

"Unparalleled as a chronicler of elemental change." --"The Guardian"
"It has the rare qualities of restraint, intelligence and sensitivity." --"The Times Literary Supplement"
"A sensitive novel about the Gikuyu in the melting pot that sometimes touches the grandeur of tap-root simplicity.""--The Guardian"

"Beautifully compact . . . It takes its reader on a journey out of the colonial matrix and into the world of the real, showing us life reclaimed in all its complexity from the simplifying template of colonialism. . . . It has an undeniable power." --Uzodinma Iweala, from the Introduction
"Unparalleled as a chronicler of elemental change." --"The Guardian"
"It has the rare qualities of restraint, intelligence and sensitivity." --"The Times Literary Supplement"
"A sensitive novel about the Gikuyu in the melting pot that sometimes touches the grandeur of tap-root simplicity.""--The Guardian"

Beautifully compact . . . It takes its reader on a journey out of the colonial matrix and into the world of the real, showing us life reclaimed in all its complexity from the simplifying template of colonialism. . . . It has an undeniable power. Uzodinma Iweala, from the Introduction
Unparalleled as a chronicler of elemental change. The Guardian
It has the rare qualities of restraint, intelligence and sensitivity. The Times Literary Supplement
A sensitive novel about the Gikuyu in the melting pot that sometimes touches the grandeur of tap-root simplicity. The Guardian"

"His novels . . . have been deservedly canonized by the iconic [Penguin Classics] series." --The Wall Street Journal

"Beautifully compact . . . It takes its reader on a journey out of the colonial matrix and into the world of the real, showing us life reclaimed in all its complexity from the simplifying template of colonialism. . . . It has an undeniable power." --Uzodinma Iweala, from the Introduction

"It has the rare qualities of restraint, intelligence and sensitivity." --The Times Literary Supplement

"A sensitive novel about the Gikuyu in the melting pot that sometimes touches the grandeur of tap-root simplicity." --The Guardian

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0141187034
• ISBN 13: 9780141187037
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160