Literary colossus: Loathed by authorities but loved by the world

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

I discovered Ngugi wa Thiong’o in my last year of Primary School, in 1972. It was the start of a journey that would see the curious reader with grubby little hands, eager for a good book, morph into Ngugi’s critic, publisher and even a friend, under the tutelage of the late Henry Chakava.  

The reading of Weep Not, Child quickly gave way to The River Between. A Grain of Wheat followed in 1977, when it came up as one of the East African Advanced Certificate of Education set books. The rest would follow. Across the distance and spaces, Ngugi remained the great teacher. He taught Chakava at the University of Nairobi, and me in the school of life and professional publishing. I fed on this great mind from fresh manuscripts and from finished works, as well as from sitting at his feet and listening.