Veteran author Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o at the Sarova Stanley Hotel when he pupularised his new book in Gikuyu Kenda Muiyuru PUBLISHED by the East Africa Educational Publishers. [FILE]
Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Kenya and Africa’s towering man of letters who has died at the age of 87, evolved from a mythical figure of my youth to become a close mentor whose friendship lasted to the last few hours of his life.
Our phone conversation last Sunday, only 72 hours before his death, was a regular feature in recent years, precipitated by his quest for clarity on the dramatic events unfolding in his beloved country, from which he was unmoored for half his lifetime.
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By Peter Kimani