By Wole Adedoyin
For those unfamiliar with the works of the late Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o—the celebrated Kenyan writer, thinker, and advocate for African languages—below is a comprehensive list of his published works across multiple genres, as compiled by Read Across Nigeria (RAN), a book promotion initiative of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW Global).
NOVELS
• Weep Not, Child (1964), ISBN 978-0143026242
• The River Between (1965), ISBN 0-435-90548-1
• A Grain of Wheat (1967, revised 1992), ISBN 0-14-118699-2
• Petals of Blood (1977), ISBN 0-14-118702-6
• Caitaani Mutharaba-Ini (Devil on the Cross, 1980)
• Matigari ma Njiruungi (Matigari, trans. by Wangui wa Goro, 1989), ISBN 0-435-90546-5
• Mũrogi wa Kagogo (Wizard of the Crow, 2006), ISBN 9966-25-162-6
• The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi (2020)
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS
• A Meeting in the Dark (1974)
• Secret Lives and Other Stories (1976, reissued 1992), ISBN 0-435-90975-4
• Minutes of Glory and Other Stories (2019)
PLAYS
• The Black Hermit (1963)
• This Time Tomorrow (1970) – includes: “The Rebels”, “The Wound in the Heart”, and the title play
• The Trial of Dedan Kimathi (1976, with Micere Githae Mugo and Njaka), ISBN 0-435-90191-5 / 0-949932-45-0
• Ngaahika Ndeenda: Ithaako ria ngerekano (I Will Marry When I Want, 1977, 1982, with Ngũgĩ wa Mirii)
• Mother, Sing for Me (1986)
MEMOIRS
• Detained: A Writer’s Prison Diary (1981)
• Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir (2010), ISBN 978-1-84655-377-6
• In the House of the Interpreter: A Memoir (2012), ISBN 978-0-30790-769-1
• Birth of a Dream Weaver: A Memoir of a Writer’s Awakening (2016), ISBN 978-1-62097-240-3
• Wrestling with the Devil: A Prison Memoir (2018)
ESSAYS & OTHER NON-FICTION
• Homecoming: Essays on African and Caribbean Literature, Culture and Politics (1972), ISBN 978-0-435-18580-0
• Education for a National Culture (1981)
• Barrel of a Pen: Resistance to Repression in Neo-Colonial Kenya (1983)
• Writing Against Neo-Colonialism (1986)
• Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (1986), ISBN 978-0852555019
• Moving the Centre: The Struggle for Cultural Freedoms (1993), ISBN 978-0852555309
• Penpoints, Gunpoints and Dreams: The Performance of Literature and Power in Post-Colonial Africa (1998), ISBN 0-19-818390-9
• Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance (2009), ISBN 978-0-465-00946-6
• Globalectics: Theory and the Politics of Knowing (2012), ISBN 978-0231159517
• Secure the Base: Making Africa Visible in the Globe (2016), ISBN 978-0857423139
• The Language of Languages (2023), ISBN 978-1-80309-071-9
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
• Njamba Nene and the Flying Bus (1986), trans. by Wangui wa Goro (Njamba Nene na Mbaathi i Mathagu)
• Njamba Nene and the Cruel Chief (1988), trans. by Wangui wa Goro (Njamba Nene na Chibu King’ang’i)
• Njamba Nene’s Pistol (1990) (Bathitoora ya Njamba Nene), ISBN 0-86543-081-0
• The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright (2019), ISBN 9780857426475
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o remains one of Africa’s most revered literary figures. His works transcend borders, languages, and generations, offering insight into colonial and post-colonial Africa, while championing indigenous identity, linguistic pride, and cultural sovereignty.
