He is Kenya’s foremost literary voice, applauded for his commitment to telling Kenyan stories in a language accessible to his fellow Kenyans. Ngugi wa Thiong'o is regularly tipped for the Nobel Prize and in 2021, he became the first author and translator to be nominated for the International Booker Prize for "The Perfect Nine".
He talks to us about his feminist retelling of the Kenyan creation myth and why strong women were an influential feature in his formative years.
We also discuss his decision in the 1970s to write in Gikuyu, his native language, and the high price he was to pay for that artistic and political stance.
