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Weep Not, Child

Realist and Literary Fiction

The 1964 debut novel of the Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o, one of the first major English-language novels published by an East African writer. Set during the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule, it follows a young boy named Njoroge whose hopes for education are overtaken by the violence dividing his family and community, and it established Ngugi as a central figure in postcolonial African literature. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Audience
General 1
Original Language
English 1
Composed, From (Year)
1964 1
FAQs

How have critics judged Weep Not, Child?

Opinions vary on its quality but critics agree it was historically important as the first novel in English by a black East African.

Critics disagree about its quality but not about its importance. It is regarded as the first novel in English by a black East African, and many see it as a work of Ngugi's youth that bears the marks of apprenticeship. Even critics who dismiss it grant that its publication marks a major stage in the development of East African literature.
Connections

Authored By

Source Weep Not, Child (Wikipedia)

In Genre

The Novel, Genres
Source Weep Not, Child (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Original Language

Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Weep Not, Child (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Weep Not, Child (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • lead section
    Weep Not, Child is the 1964 debut novel by Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o.
  • Lead
    Weep Not, Child is the 1964 debut novel by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. It was published in 1964 under the name James Ngugi.
  • Original language statement
    The 1964 debut novel of the Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o, one of the first major English-language novels published by an East African writer.
  • Lead paragraph
    Weep Not, Child is the 1964 debut novel by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. It was published in 1964 under the name James Ngugi. It was in the African Writers Series of the Heinemann publishing company. Weep Not, Child was the first English-language novel by an East African to be published.
  • Authored By: Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Lead section, authorship
    Weep Not, Child is the 1964 debut novel by Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o.
  • In Genre: The Novel, Lead section, novel genre
    Weep Not, Child is the 1964 debut novel by Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o, one of the first major English-language novels published by an East African writer.
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