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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ And Mũmbi by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
1 review
apthompson's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
“To build calls for hard work,
From the one who looks to tomorrow.
To destroy is easy work,
For one who wants to return to yesterday,
Like a grown person wishing to remain a child.”
“Look for me in the water. / Look for me in the wind./ Look for me in the soil./ Look for me in the fire— / Even in the sun,/ Even in the stars./ Look for me in the rain. […] / Look for me in unity. / Look for me among the helping. / Look for me among the oppressed.”
“Everything sends back a sound, however soft. If you listen to an echo with care, you can tell where it is coming from. / The ear is the eye of the soul.”
This mythological epic, told in verse and self-translated from Gikuyu (indeed, the postcoloniality of writing in his own language is a central concept to Ngũgĩ’s writings) pulls from the traditional epic form with continuous repetitive elements, references to higher powers, poetic effects, and a beautiful epic ending, and largely adheres to the myth of Bantu-origin in Ancient Egypt, built around the patriarch father and mother Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi. In the words of the author, he views mythology as a “network”, as comparative across cultures. For me, the most interesting concept explored in this book was the relationship between the individual and the community, especially when the community is one in which autonomy and network is centralised more than hierarchy, and how this relates to his wider argument of a “network” of cultures. I did find the feminist argument of this work rather unsophisticated, as it was very literally expressed.
This book was recommended and lent to me by a friend, who suggested Thiong’o as an author who might interest me given my preference for mythology. I think, having discussed his other works, that I might enjoy one of his novels more stylistically. Have you read any of his books? What did you think? Which do you recommend?
rating: ★★★.5
🗺️ Reading Around the World 2024: Kenya 🇰🇪
From the one who looks to tomorrow.
To destroy is easy work,
For one who wants to return to yesterday,
Like a grown person wishing to remain a child.”
“Look for me in the water. / Look for me in the wind./ Look for me in the soil./ Look for me in the fire— / Even in the sun,/ Even in the stars./ Look for me in the rain. […] / Look for me in unity. / Look for me among the helping. / Look for me among the oppressed.”
“Everything sends back a sound, however soft. If you listen to an echo with care, you can tell where it is coming from. / The ear is the eye of the soul.”
This mythological epic, told in verse and self-translated from Gikuyu (indeed, the postcoloniality of writing in his own language is a central concept to Ngũgĩ’s writings) pulls from the traditional epic form with continuous repetitive elements, references to higher powers, poetic effects, and a beautiful epic ending, and largely adheres to the myth of Bantu-origin in Ancient Egypt, built around the patriarch father and mother Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi. In the words of the author, he views mythology as a “network”, as comparative across cultures. For me, the most interesting concept explored in this book was the relationship between the individual and the community, especially when the community is one in which autonomy and network is centralised more than hierarchy, and how this relates to his wider argument of a “network” of cultures. I did find the feminist argument of this work rather unsophisticated, as it was very literally expressed.
This book was recommended and lent to me by a friend, who suggested Thiong’o as an author who might interest me given my preference for mythology. I think, having discussed his other works, that I might enjoy one of his novels more stylistically. Have you read any of his books? What did you think? Which do you recommend?
rating: ★★★.5
🗺️ Reading Around the World 2024: Kenya 🇰🇪
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood