Wanjiku wa Ngugi
Author of Seasons in Hippoland (The Africa List)
About the Author
Works by Wanjiku wa Ngugi
Associated Works
New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent (2019) — Contributor — 115 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Relationships
- Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (father)
Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ (brother)
Members
Reviews
A strong and lovely parable about the importance of storytelling and hope in the face of tyranny. And a love letter to a beautiful homeland and strong women.
Seasons in Hippoland was a serendipitous loan from a Bayside Library display. It has an arresting title, a moody cover image and an author name that I (sort of) recognised...
Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ is the daughter of Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (whose books I have reviewed here). She was born in Kenya, educated in the US and has lived and worked in Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Finland. Wikipedia tells me that her CV includes journalism and editorial work as well as founding and directing the show more Helsinki African Film Festival. Her writing includes her debut novel The Fall of Saints (2014) and contributing to anthologies such as New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent (2019); and short stories in Akashic Books' Noir Series: Houston Noir (2019) and Nairobi Noir (2020). If her second novel Seasons in Hippoland (2021) is anything to go by, literary talent runs in families. (Her brother Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ is also a writer.)
Seasons in Hippoland begins with Mumbi as a sulky adolescent, sent to stay with her Aunt Sara because her parents are anxious about her rebellious behaviour. The irony is that both her parents and Aunt Sara were rebels themselves, but they were fighting for a political cause not for the right to party and smoke dope. Mumbi is furious about being banished to the countryside:
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/18/seasons-in-hippoland-2021-by-wanjiku-wa-ngug... show less
Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ is the daughter of Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (whose books I have reviewed here). She was born in Kenya, educated in the US and has lived and worked in Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Finland. Wikipedia tells me that her CV includes journalism and editorial work as well as founding and directing the show more Helsinki African Film Festival. Her writing includes her debut novel The Fall of Saints (2014) and contributing to anthologies such as New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent (2019); and short stories in Akashic Books' Noir Series: Houston Noir (2019) and Nairobi Noir (2020). If her second novel Seasons in Hippoland (2021) is anything to go by, literary talent runs in families. (Her brother Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ is also a writer.)
Seasons in Hippoland begins with Mumbi as a sulky adolescent, sent to stay with her Aunt Sara because her parents are anxious about her rebellious behaviour. The irony is that both her parents and Aunt Sara were rebels themselves, but they were fighting for a political cause not for the right to party and smoke dope. Mumbi is furious about being banished to the countryside:
I thought of the friends I was leaving behind and my heart plummeted again. I wanted to be in their shoes, chasing each other on the streets or fighting over popcorn while they waited in line to watch the American super-stars whose names and life events bounced off our mouths like poetry. There was also the possibility of meeting Soul Dreamers, a Westville a cappella group we'd only so far seen on TV. My friends and I had divided up the members among ourselves. For marriage that is. We so desperately hoped to bump into them somewhere, and constantly wagered with each other as to who would be the lucky first to do so. My rural banishment would no doubt give them a huge advantage in this matter. (p.11)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/18/seasons-in-hippoland-2021-by-wanjiku-wa-ngug... show less
"I finished this book hoping (against hope) there'd be some sort of satisfying ending to what was really a morass of a novel. There's a bit of a feel that the author had a beginning and an end but struggled to create a middle."
read more: http://likeiamfeasting.blogspot.gr/2014/03/fall-of-saints-wanjiku-wangugi.html
read more: http://likeiamfeasting.blogspot.gr/2014/03/fall-of-saints-wanjiku-wangugi.html
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- Rating
- 3.8
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