Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o Books in Order

How many Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books are there?

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has 37 books, released between 1964 and 2025. 2 of them belong to the Adventures of Njamba Nene series.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 37 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Do you have to read Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books in order?

You only need to read Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books in order within the Adventures of Njamba Nene series, which holds 2 of the 37 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Start with Weep Not, Child (1964), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o book?

Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas (2025) is the newest Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o book released so far.

Is there a new Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o book coming?

No next Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has won

Wikidata records 3 awards and 1 nomination for Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

• Grand Prix des mécènes2018Won
• International Nonino Prize2001Won
• Lotus Prize for Literature1973Won
• International Booker Prize2021Shortlistedfor The Perfect Nine: The Epic Gikuyu and Mumbi

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o at a glance

Died

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o died in 2025, according to Wikidata.

Last book

The newest book credited to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o on record dates from 2025.

Release pace

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.

Length

5,698 pages across the 28 of 37 books with a recorded length, a median of 164 pages each.

Busiest decade

Most Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books, 10 of 37, were published in the 1980s.

What the Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books are about

32 of the 37 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: african literature is tagged on 7 of 32. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

• African literature 7 of 32 books
• History 7 of 32 books
• Biography 6 of 32 books
• History and criticism 6 of 32 books
• Kenya 6 of 32 books
• Politics and government 6 of 32 books
• Kenyan Authors 5 of 32 books
• Authors, african 3 of 32 books
• Colonial influence 3 of 32 books
• Drama 3 of 32 books
• Intellectual life 3 of 32 books
• Kikuyu (African people) 3 of 32 books