Overview

• Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o died on May 28, 2025, in Bedford, Georgia, at age 87, his Kenyan publisher confirmed.
• He changed his name from James Ngugi in 1976, then began writing exclusively in Kikuyu in 1978 to assert African cultural identity.
• His critical stance against Kenyan regimes led to his 1977 imprisonment—where he wrote a novel on toilet paper—and his 1982 exile under President Daniel arap Moi.
• Over his career, he authored novels, essays and plays translated into more than 50 languages, solidifying his status as a pillar of African literature.
• Despite frequent consideration for the Nobel Prize in Literature, he never received it, highlighting broader conversations about global literary recognition.