This document provides information about Ngugi wa Thiong'o's novel "A Grain of Wheat". It discusses that the novel was published in 1967 and takes place during Kenya's struggle for independence from British colonial rule. The title is taken from the New Testament. The novel focuses on several interconnected stories and characters in a village preparing for Kenya's independence day celebration. It explores themes of betrayal, guilt, violence and the impact of colonialism on individuals and society.

1. Topic:- information about ‘A Grain of
Wheat’.
Paper:- 14(The African Literature.)
P.G.Reg No:- 2069108420190040
Roll No:-18
Study:- M.A (Seem:-4)
Email:- mitalba1998@gmail.com
Prepared by Rayjada Mitalba j.
Summited to Smt.S.B.Gradi department
of English,Maharaja krushnkumarsinhji,
Bhavnagar University.

2. Index:-
• About Author Nagugi Wa
Thiong’o.
• About title ‘A Grain of Wheat’.
• About Works.
• About novel ‘A Grain of
Wheat’.
• Term of Uhuru.
• About Maumau.
• About Themes.

3. Nagugi wa Thiong’o:-
• Nagugi wa Thiong’o
born in 1938. He was
Kenya’s most famous
writer. He best known
as a novelist.
• His work includes
novels, plays, short
stories, and essays,
ranging from literary
And social criticism to
children’s literature.

4. ABOUT TITLE A GRAIN OF
WEHEAT
About title ‘A Grain of Wheat’:-
‘ A Grain of Wheat’ is a historical
novel by Kenya author, Ngugi wa
Thiong’o. The title of the book has
been taken from the Gospel
According to St. John, which states
that:-

6. 2. Grain of Wheat given by Jesus in the
New Testament :-

7. His works:-
Novels:-
• Weep Not Child.
• The River Between.
• A Grain of Wheat.
• Petals of Blood.

8. About novel ‘ A Grain of Wheat ’:-
• Grain of Wheat is a novel by Kenyan
novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o first
published as part of influential
Heinemann African Writers Series.
• It was written while he was studying at
Leeds University first published in 1967
by Heinemann.
• The title is taken from the Gospel
According to St.John.

9. Continue:-
• The novel weaves together
several stories set during the
state of emergency in Kenya’s
struggle for independent,
focusing on the quite Mugo,
whose life is ruled by a dark
secret.
• The plot revolves around his
home village’s preparation for
Kenya’s independence day
celebration, Uhuruday.

10. Term of Uhuru:-
• Uhuru is the Swahili
word for “freedom” .
Uhuru is both the
concept of freedom
and Kenyan struggle
for independent from
colonial Britain.

11. About Maumau:-
• Maumau emergency in
A Grain of Wheat
Presented for the first
time an African
perspective on the
Kenyan armed rovolt
against British colonial
rule during the 1950s.

12. Colonialism:-
• Kenya was colonized by the
British in 1895 and was not
independent until 1963. In a
Grain of Wheat’, Britain’s
colonization of Kenya is the
context against which it’s
characters are formed as well
as the primary political tension
of the book.
Themes:-

13. Individuals:-
• The novel’s narrative focuses
on the Individual with time
given to Mugo, Mumbi,
Gikonyo, Karanja, khihika
and even minor characters
like General R and Koina.

14. Betrayal Guilt:-
• Almost every character feels guilty
about something in this novel,
and those sources of Guilt tend to
derive from a betrayal of another
character or of the Kenyan
people.

15. Violence:-
• Violence is an undeniable part of the
movement many characters carry
out Violence acts, speak positively of
Violence or Ignore it when it
happenens in front of then.

16. Worksited:-
Osborne-Bartucca, Kristen. Suduiko, Aaron
ed. "A Grain of Wheat Themes".
GradeSaver, 5 June 2016 Web. 23 February
2020.