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  • Published: 22 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781837314782
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 272

Devil on the Cross




The great Kenyan writer's influential novel, written in prison, offering a powerful critique of the 'Satan of capitalism' and its effect on postcolonial Kenya

A legendary work of African literature, Devil on the Cross is one of the cornerstones of Ngugi wa Thiong'o's enduring fame. An impassioned cry for a Kenya free of dictatorship and for African writers to work in their own local dialects, this novel offers a searing critique of capitalism and colonialism by one of the world’s greatest and most provocative writers.

Written on toilet paper while Ngugi wa Thiong'o was in prison, this novel tells the tragic story of Wariinga, a young woman who moves from a rural Kenyan town to the capital, Nairobi, only to be exploited by her boss and later a corrupt businessman. As Wariinga struggles to survive, she begins to realize that her problems are only symptoms of a larger societal malaise and that much of the misfortune stems from the Western, capitalist influences on her country. Climaxing in an unforgettable scene of the 'Devil's Feast', a satirical parable on Western culture and business practices, Devil on the Cross is an essential story of the post-colonial African experience.

  • Published: 22 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781837314782
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 272

Other books in the series

The New Penguin Book Of American Short Stories, From Washington Irving To Lydia Davis
A Dog's Heart
The Black Tulip
The Lady of the Camellias
Selected Poetry
On Sparta
Man and Superman
Saint Joan
Botchan
Military Dispatches

About the author

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is one of the leading writers and scholars at work in the world today. His books include the novels Petals of Blood, for which he was imprisoned by the Kenyan government in 1977, A Grain of Wheat and Wizard of the Crow; the memoirs, Dreams in a Time of War, In the House of the Interpreter and Birth of a Dream Weaver; and the essays, Decolonizing the Mind, Something Torn and New and Globalectics. Recipient of many honours, among them ten honorary doctorates, he is currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.

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