Who is Matigari? Is he young or old? Dead or living... or even Jesus Christ? These are the questions asked by the people when a man who has survived a war for independence emerges from the mountains. Matigari is in search of his family, the rebuilding of his home and the start of a new and peaceful future. But his search becomes a quest for truth and justice as he finds the people still dispossessed and the land he loves ruled by corruption, fear, and misery. Rumor springs up that a man with superhuman powers has risen to renew the freedom struggle. The novel races towards its climax as Matigari realizes that words alone cannot defeat the enemy. He vows to use force of arms to achieve his true liberation. Lyrical and hilarious in turn, Matigari is a memorable satire on the betrayal of human ideals and on the bitter experience of post-independence African society.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
From the Back Cover
"Ngugi wa Thiong'o has succeeded in creating a fascinating and revolutionary concept of genre... Matigari is both a novel at the same time as it is an oral narrative performance. [Matigari] is likewise equally a hagiography as it is a myth." - Lewis Nkosi
"Soon after Matigari's publication, its hero was mistaken by the paranoid, dictatorial government of Kenya as a revolutionary agitator plotting to overthrow the government, which promptly issued a warrant for his arrest! When the ensuing extensive search across the country finally revealed that Matigari was only a fictional hero, the book which had given birth to this phantom, this Matigari ... was immediately confiscated and banned from circulation." - F. Odun Balogun
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Matigari is a fascinating story. Must read~!,
This review is from: Matigari (African Writers Library) (Hardcover)
Matigari by Ngugi wa Thiong'o is a fascinating story. Since from the very beginning, Matigari captures readers with foreshadowing, uses of similes, and many techniques that European writers use. However, the structure is different from a novel written in the European tradition. The language is kept rather simple, as someone would speak when telling a story. There are many repetitive words and phrases in Matigari and readers should not underestimate the significant value of every one of them. In addition, the repetition is one of many things that Ngugi used to make readers read the book like a hidden charisma of the book. In my opinion, one of many quotes that give more insight to the story is the following: There is no night so long that it does not end with dawn." This metaphorical expression has a very significant meaning in the context of the story. It expresses the endless sufferings of people in that land. Most importantly, it emphasizes their hope for a better tomorrow. Thins have not changed after the settlers left. The Imperialism system sets a worldwide system in which the sorrow of the many is the joy of the few. The wealth of an entire nation is in the hands of five percent of the population, while the other ninety five percent are dying of starvation. "I have girded myself with the belt of peace." That is another important phrase. It illustrates the non-violent attitude of the hero. Matigari was a nationalist, a peaceful messenger who wished for harmony in his community. Another phrase that provides the most insight into the text is house and home. It is repeated countless times throughout the story, sometimes as many as eight times on a single page. It is like a mantra-home. The home is the center of our life. It is where families are centered. We go home to our loved ones every night. Muriuki's mother was killed in a fire set by her proprietor when she could not afford to pay for and refused to leave her home. Guthera turned to prostitution after she and her sibling were orphaned and it was the only means by which she could provide for them. John Boy is sent away to school by his family and instead of coming back to help them to improve their lives he becomes just like the wealthy settlers and his main goal is making money at the expense of the natives. Matigari's home appears to represent unity, love, and power. Home has connotations that go even further than that of immediate family and a place to live. Home is their country and home is the life they knew before colonization. Decolorizing Mind novel, that Ngugi used a biblical element to grab readers such as myself into completing the novel Matigari. I could not put down the book, Matigari's attitude and outward demeanor could all be summed up in one outline: his grace, his compassion, his love, his patience, his peacefulness, gentleness are all the qualities of Christ. I especially loved how he captured Matigari's voice, "Something in Matigari's voice made them listen to him attentively," when Christ spoke the people all listened o him diligently. When Matigari said " a prudent person keeps their mouth shut, in the Bible James 1:19, says everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger...." In addition, when Matigari was in the jail cell, he shared food with other people in the jail. It is parallel to Jesus when he shares his bread to twelve other people. In literally, the food Matigari had and shared could be the last supper. Matigari is not only the bitter experience of post independence African society, but it is a picture of timeless suffering and struggle for freedom and independence. In a dictatorship, questions of truth and justice are paramount because these two are the first to disappear in such an environment. Matigari's patriotism for his country and his people haunted his soul. His search for truth and justice eventually let him to the forest and mountains. The myths of Matigari have wonder people. Who is this man People even compared him with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Who ever that man is or whatever people think about him or his mission, I think the Matigari as an inspiration to the search for truth and justice.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Matigari,
By Gina (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Matigari: A Novel (Paperback)
Using Christian analogies, the book is is a metaphor for Kenya's - and all African countries' - struggle for freedom and an end to corruption. The fictional title character was so realistic that the Kenyan government issued a warrant for his arrest and banned the book!
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this book,
This review is from: Matigari (African Writers Library) (Hardcover)
Although the author proposes that the reader set the story in any place they imagine, the Kenyan government took "matigari" quite personally... and Ngugi is now an exiled writer. originally published in gukuu (sp?) this lyrical story is a written version of African oral story telling tradition. Matigari, victorious over his foe in the mountains, returns to his homeland to find it over-run with capitalism. He befriends a man, woman and a child, and journeys throughout his homeland seeking truth and justice. Word of his deeds travel, and quickly become exaggerated, until matigari himself is deified. The text brings up themes of community versus individualism, socialism versus capitalism... it questions the length of the arm of the United States in Africa... and shows the dangers of Africa taking on destructive "white" government systems. The story is tragic and beautiful, and very true. Who is Matigari? Read the book and find out!
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