In the House of the Interpreter: A Memoir

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist • In the House of the Interpreter hauntingly describes the formative experiences of a young man who would become a world-class writer and, as a political dissident, a moral compass to us all

“Brilliant and essential. . . . A work of understated and heartfelt prose that relates one man’s intimate view of the epic cultural and political shifts that created modern Africa.” —Los Angeles Times

Renowned novelist, poet, playwright, and literary critic Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was a student at a prestigious, British-run boarding school near Nairobi when the tumultuous Mau Mau Uprising for independence and Kenyan sovereignty gripped his country. While he enjoyed scouting trips and chess tournaments, his family home was razed to the ground and his brother, a member of the insurgency, was captured by the British and taken to a concentration camp. But Ngũgĩ could not escape history, and eventually found himself jailed after a run in with the forces of colonialism.

A winning celebration of the implacable determination of youth and the power of hope, here is a searing account of the history of a man—and the story of a nation.