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	Wrestling with the Devil: A Prison Memoir by Ngugi wa Thiong'o Price $25.99 Hardcover Special Order

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

presents

Wrestling with the Devil:
A Prison Memoir

in conversation with MŨKOMA WA NGŨGĨ

This event includes a book signing

Date

Apr

Tuesday
April 17, 2018
6:00 PM ET
(Doors at 5:30)

Location

Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 02138

Tickets

$27.00 (online only, book included)

Buy Tickets »

$5.00

Buy Tickets »

Harvard Book Store, the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, and Mass Humanities welcome renowned Kenyan writer and scholar NGŨGĨ WA THIONG'O—author of the acclaimed novel Wizard of the Crow—for a discussion of his latest book, Wrestling with the Devil: A Prison Memoir. He will be joined in conversation by his son, Cornell professor and author Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, who will be signing copies of his latest book, The Rise of the African Novel.

About Wrestling with the Devil

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s powerful prison memoir begins literally half an hour before his release on December 12, 1978. In one extended flashback, he recalls the night, a year earlier, when armed police pulled him from his home and jailed him in Kenya’s Kamĩtĩ Maximum Security Prison, one of the largest in Africa. There, he lives in a prison block with eighteen other political prisoners, quarantined from the general prison population.

In a conscious effort to fight back the humiliation and the intended degradation of the spirit, Ngũgĩ—the world-renowned author of Weep Not, Child; Petals of Blood; and Wizard of the Crow—decides to write a novel on toilet paper, the only paper to which he has access, a book that will become his classic, Devil on the Cross.

Written in the early 1980s and never before published in America, Wrestling with the Devil is Ngũgĩ’s account of the drama and the challenges of writing fiction under twenty-four-hour surveillance. He captures not only the excruciating pain that comes from being cut off from his wife and children but also the spirit of defiance that defines hope. Ultimately, Wrestling with the Devil is a testimony to the power of imagination to help humans break free of confinement, which is truly the story of all art.

Praise

“One of the greatest writers of our time.” —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"In his crowded career and his eventful life, Ngũgĩ has enacted, for all to see, the paradigmatic trials and quandaries of a contemporary African writer, caught in sometimes implacable political, social, racial, and linguistic currents." —John Updike, The New Yorker

Book Sales

Also available for purchase: The Rise of the African Novel: Politics of Language, Identity, and Ownership by Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ (Learn more)

Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ

Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ is an Assistant Professor of English at Cornell University and the author of The Rise of the African Novel: Politics of Language, Politics and Ownership, the novels Mrs. Shaw, Black Star Nairobi, Nairobi Heat, and two books of poetry, Hurling Words at Consciousness and Logotherapy. He is the co-founder of the Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature and co-director of the Global South Project Cornell. In 2013, New African magazine named him one of the 100 most Influential Africans. For more see, www.mukomawangugi.com.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was born in Limuru, Kenya in 1938 and is one of the leading writers and scholars at work today. He is the author of Wizard of the Crow; A Grain of Wheat; Weep Not Child; The River Between; Petals of Blood; and Birth of a Dream Weaver. He is currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.

All pre-sales tickets include a copy of Wrestling with the Devil, admission into the event, and a $5 coupon for use in the bookstore. Pre-sales tickets (online only) are available for two weeks, after which a $5 ticket option will also go on sale. Books bundled with pre-sale tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand.

$5 tickets will also be available at Harvard Book Store and over the phone at 617-661-1515. Unless the event is sold out, any remaining tickets will be on sale at the door of the venue when doors open.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-returnable.

Walking from the Harvard Square T station: 10 minutes

As you exit the station, cross Mass. Ave. and proceed along Brattle St. Follow Brattle St. as it curves to the right in Brattle Square (follow the sidewalk on the right side of the street). The Brattle will be on the left-hand side of the street. The building is shared with Algiers Cafe and Alden & Harlow Restaurant, and the theatre entrance is on the left side of the building—look for the sidewalk poster case and marquee.

Unable to attend a Harvard Book Store author event? You can still pre-order a signed book by one of our visiting authors.

While we can't guarantee fulfillment of a signed book pre-order, our authors are almost always able to sign extra books to fulfill such orders.

Ordering a signed book on harvard.com:

Add the book to your shopping cart and then click Checkout.
Specify in Order Comments that you want a signed copy of the book.
Please note: online orders for signed copies must be placed at least one business day before the event. If you are ordering the day of, please call us instead.

Ordering a signed book by phone:

Call us at (617) 661-1515 and one of our booksellers will take your order. Specify you'd like a signed copy.
If you are requesting a personalized inscription and/or requesting your book be shipped, we'll need to take down credit card information. If you are planning to pick up the signed book in the store, you can pay on pick-up.

FAQ:

Can I request a personalized inscription?
Unless otherwise noted, we are happy to take requests for the author to sign your book to a specific person, but we can't guarantee it. If you do get a personalized inscription, the book will be non-returnable. We will require credit card information when you place the order.

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There is no extra fee for a signed book!

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As with all web or phone orders, we can hold your book for in-store pickup, or ship it anywhere in the country.

I am planning to attend an author event. Do I need to pre-order a book?
No need. We'll be selling books at the event, and nearly all of our events include a signing at the end of the talk.

More questions? Give us a call!

Event Series: This Month's Selection for our Signed First Edition Club

Harvard Book Store's Signed First Edition Club is a unique way for readers to connect with and create a wealth of great books. Each month, Harvard Book Store offers members a signed first edition of a newly published book, selected for both its literary merit and potential collectibility. Learn more and sign up at harvard.com/signedfirst.

Signing Guidelines

Due to limited time, no personalizations and no posed photographs. Thank you for your understanding.

Co-Sponsored by the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research

The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University supports research on the history and culture of people of African descent the world over and provides a forum for collaboration and the ongoing exchange of ideas. Learn more at hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu.

Co-Sponsored by Mass Humanities

Mass Humanities

Mass Humanities creates opportunities for the people of Massachusetts to transform their lives and build a more equitable Commonwealth through the humanities. Learn more at masshumanities.org.

Purchase the Book
Featured event books will be for sale at the event for 20% off. Thank you for supporting this author series with your purchases.

General Info
(617) 661-1515
info@harvard.com

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