Sorin Hadârcă's Reviews > Birth of a Dream Weaver: A Writer's Awakening

Same factual style of writing. No drama, no confessions, no fun. At the same time, I found the memoirs intriguing. All the characters were real people, flesh and blood. All that happened was there and then, during a critical juncture when British East Africa was turning into independent Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the latter two morphing into the present days Tanzania.

Another dimension: no Kenyan fiction existed before Ngugi wa Thiong'o embarked on this endeavor. How is it to be a pioneer? First Kenyan play, then the first novel. Of course, there are role models from other African countries, Chinua Achebe and such. But still. Laying the foundation stone for a body of literature is mind-blowing.

All in one, his is a personal history which merges so closely with the national one. Memoirs to be enjoyed, but also studied.