🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
About Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o The Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has been hugely influential over the course of his lifetime, creating a long-lasting literary legacy. Seen by many as East Africa’s leading novelist, he’s written in both English and Gikuyu, with him being a massively versatile novelist. Writing in various different formats, including short stories, plays, novels, and essays, he’s a gifted writer with a lot to say. Working as an academic too, he’s provided insight into a whole range of different issues and subjects, providing his own unique perspective. For the duration of his career, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has produced a great deal of literature, with much of it being cited by his peers and contemporaries alike.
All Book Series by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Minutes of Glory and Other Stories
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2019
Mau Mau From Within: The Story of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army
Book 14 of 16 · published 2021 Co-authored · Micere Githae Mugo,Karari Njama,Donald L Barnett,Gitu wa Kahengeri,Kamoji Wachiira
Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas
Latest in the series · book 16 of 16 · published 2025
As Long As Trees Take Root in the Earth
Series opener · book 1 of 13 · published 2007 Anthology · Alain Mabanckou
Passage of Tears
Book 3 of 13 · published 2009 Anthology · Abdourahman A. Waberi
Seasons in Hippoland
Book 10 of 13 · published 2021 Anthology · Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ
The Journey of a Caribbean Writer
Book 12 of 13 · published 2022 Anthology · Maryse Condé
The Language of Languages
Latest in the series · book 13 of 13 · published 2022
Strange Country
Series opener · book 1 of 13 · published 1990 Anthology · Seamus Deane
Fantastic Metamorphoses, Other Worlds: Ways of Telling the Self
Book 4 of 13 · published 2002 Anthology · Marina Warner
The Trouble with Literature
Book 11 of 13 · published 2020 Anthology · Victoria Kahn
Messing About in Boats
Book 12 of 13 · published 2021 Anthology · Michael Hofmann
Bibliophobia
Latest in the series · book 13 of 13 · published 2022 Anthology · Brian Cummings
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o?
About Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o The Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o has been hugely influential over the course of his lifetime, creating a long-lasting literary legacy. Seen by many as East Africa's leading novelist, he's written in both English and Gikuyu, with him being a massively versatile novelist. Writing in various different formats, including short stories, plays, novels, and essays, he's a gifted writer with a lot to say.
Which Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Clarendon Lectures in English series, the earliest of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's multi-book series: it opens with Strange Country (1990) and runs to 13 books across 1990–2022, ending with Bibliophobia (2022). Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o written?
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has 65 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1964 and 2025. 28 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Africa List series with 13 books — and 37 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Adventures of Njamba Nene (1986, 2 books), Clarendon Lectures in English (1990–2022, 13 books) and Africa List (2007–2022, 13 books).
How are Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's books organised into series?
This guide splits Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's 65 books into 3 named series and 37 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Africa List (13 books, 2007–2022); Clarendon Lectures in English (13 books, 1990–2022); Adventures of Njamba Nene (2 books, 1986).