Ngugi's Matagari and the politics of literature

Glenn Hooper

Ngugi's Matagari and the politics of literature

Glenn Hooper

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The issue of art in the service of politics is a notoriously complex one. Although many are content with the concept of imaginative writing being harnessed to a political enterprise, not all are happy with the end result. In a review of Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals of Blood, for example, Homi Bhabha (1977) suggests that although the narrator avoids a form of 'romantic nationalism' that 'can lead to an idealized quest for identity, for a mystical pristine Otherness', the text's 'rambling narrative and wide cast of characters' are less than impressive.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	13-31
Number of pages	19
Journal	Alternation
Volume	5
Issue number	1
Publication status	Published - Jan 1998

Keywords

'Matigari'
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
post-colonial literature
romantic nationalism

Documents and Links

http://alternation.ukzn.ac.za/pages/volume-5/volume-5-number-1-1998.aspx

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