Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas

ALiterary HubMost Anticipated BookBrilliant thoughts on modern African literature and postcolonial literary criticism from one of the giants of contemporary lettersOne of the greatest writers of our time. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,bestselling authorNgg wa Thiongo was a towering figure in African literature, and his novels A Grain of Wheat; Weep Not, Child; and Petals of Blood are modern classics. Emerging from a literary scene that flourished in the 1950s and 60s during the last years of colonialism in Africa, he became known not just as a novelistone who, in the late 70s, famously stopped writing novels in English and turned to the language he grew up speaking, Gkybut as a major postcolonial theorist.In Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas, Ngg gives us a series of essays that build on the revolutionary ideas about language and its constructive role in national culture, history, and identity that he set out in his earlier workilluminating the intrinsic importance of keeping intact and honoring these native languages throughout time.Intricate and deeply nuanced, this collection examines the enduring power of African languages in resisting both the psychic and material impacts of colonialism, past and present. These themes are elucidated through chapters on some contemporaries of Ngg wa Thiongo, including Chinua Achebe, Mcere Gthae Mgo, and Wole Soyinkaeach offering a distinct lens on the liberatory potential of language.A brave call for discourse and immensely relevant to our present moment, Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas works both as a wonderful introduction to the enduring themes of Nggs work as well as a vital addition to the library of the worlds greatest and most provocative writers.