A giant of African literature whose best works existed between the political and the personal, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was warm, funny and friendly – and liked to bet on my pool gamesAmong the African writers who emerged in the middle of the 20th century, the most political undoubtedly was Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. Born in Kenya while it was still under British rule he was anti-colonialist, a communist, anti-dictatorial, and an almost militant proponent for African languages being used for African literature.His best works exist at the interface between the political and the personal. His first book of essays, Homecoming, is at once engaging and polemical. His early novels Weep Not, Child and A Grain of Wheat look at the impact of colonialism and the Mau Mau rebellion on individual lives. He was strangely at his best with the personal and the intimate, but his reputation grew more from his political stances – first against the British government, then against the dictatorship in Kenya in the 70s. He was jailed not for a thundering political text but for a play in Kikuyu called I Will Marry When I Want. In prison he wrote his memoir on toilet paper. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2025-05-30 16:36:34 UTC ]
A memoir and a history of Iran’s turbulent 20th-century politics, one comic strip frame at a time. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 15:21:11 UTC ]
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The Times would later call this 1995 memoir of a hardscrabble Texas childhood “one of the best books ever written about growing up in America.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 14:55:16 UTC ]
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This brilliant 1976 memoir evokes the author’s Chinese immigrant family and summons the ghosts who haunt it. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 14:55:13 UTC ]
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Britney Spears’s younger sister has had her offer to give proceeds from her forthcoming book to the non-profit organisation This Is My Brave turned downJamie Lynn Spears’s offer to donate some of the proceeds from her forthcoming memoir to a mental health organisation has been declined after a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-10-20 11:37:23 UTC ]
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Australian dramatist David Williamson’s new book is a mash up of memoir and autobiography, which casts himself as a former ‘plunderer’ of other’s lives. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-10-20 03:57:12 UTC ]
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Schiff’s “Midnight in Washington” is that rare memoir by a politician that actually has something to say. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-19 18:00:03 UTC ]
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In his memoir “Unprotected,” Billy Porter recounts his lifelong struggle to heal the deep wounds buried under the sheen of his charismatic presence. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-19 09:00:04 UTC ]
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A book that takes place in one day offers immersion in a character’s life and consciousness, with the added resonance of a creative constraint that mirrors our own lived experience of 24 hours with changing light, ticking numbers, and the book-ends of sleep. My attempt to try this in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-19 08:50:02 UTC ]
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Scholastic has swooped on Welcome to St Hell, a "groundbreaking" YA memoir about being a trans teen, written and illustrated by influencer and filmmaker Lewis Hancox. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-18 19:31:24 UTC ]
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Dave Grohl's memoir The Storyteller (S&S) was one of the critics most reviewed this week, picking up mentions in The Bookseller, the Observer, Guardian, Times, Sunday Times and Irish Times. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-17 21:25:03 UTC ]
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The longtime anchor’s memoir settles scores and reexamines some regrettable choices. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-15 07:39:38 UTC ]
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Amor Towles’s 'The Lincoln Highway,' which became this month’s Read with Jenna pick for the Jenna Bush Hager Book Club, hit #1 overall. Plus Grunge god Dave Grohl, the Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman, has the #2 book in the country this week with his memoir The Storyteller'. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Like the complex Philippine history the book aims to depict, there is no single sentence that can sum up Albert Samaha’s Concepcion, especially when he renders that history through the lens of his own diasporic family, dating back to his ancestors’ first encounter with Europeans. Though... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-10-13 11:00:00 UTC ]
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In “Those We Throw Away Are Diamonds,” Mondiant Dogon, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, recounts a saga of horror, frustration and hope. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-12 09:00:07 UTC ]
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“Concepcion,” by Albert Samaha, combines the epic sweep of global history with an intimate family narrative. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-12 09:00:07 UTC ]
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Scout signs a buzzed-about novel by a Swedish journalist, Norton nabs a memoir by South African Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH imprint #Merky Books has landed the "powerful and deeply moving" memoir by Olympic champion and elite runner Caster Semenya. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-06 10:43:15 UTC ]
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‘When we woke up, the whole ocean was full of broken ice.’ An excerpt from Notes from an Island, with artwork by Tuulikki Pietilä and memoir by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal. The post Notes from an Island appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2021-10-04 05:36:51 UTC ]
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The actor’s new memoir “Taste” explains how a bout with cancer took his passion for ragù and risotto, but also Cuban-Chinese stews and minke whale, to new heights. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-02 09:00:17 UTC ]
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The actor’s new memoir “Taste” explains how a bout with cancer took his passion for ragù and risotto, but also Cuban-Chinese stews and minke whale, to new heights. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-02 09:00:16 UTC ]
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