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The Language of Languages
With clear, conversational prose, this is the first book dedicated entirely to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s writings on translation.
Through his many critically acclaimed novels, stories, essays, plays, and memoirs, Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has been at the forefront of world literature for decades. He has also been, in his own words, “a language warrior,” fighting for indigenous African languages to find their rightful place in the literary world. Having begun his writing career in English, Ngũgĩ shifted to writing in his native language Gikũyũ in 1977, a stance both creatively and politically significant. For decades now, Ngũgĩ has been translating his Gikũyũ works into English himself, and he has used many platforms to champion the practice and cause of literary translations, which he calls “the language of languages.”
This volume brings together for the first time Ngũgĩ’s essays and lectures about translation, written and delivered over the past two decades. Here we find Ngũgĩ discussing translation as a conversation between cultures; proposing that dialogue among African languages is the way to unify African peoples; reflecting on the complexities of auto-translation or translating one’s own work; exploring the essential task translation performed in the history of the propagation of thought; and pleading for the hierarchy of languages to be torn down. He also shares his many experiences of writing across languages, including his story The Upright Revolution, which has been translated into more than a hundred languages around the globe and is the most widely translated text written by an African author. At a time when dialogues between cultures and peoples are more essential than ever, The Language of Languages makes an outspoken case for the value of literature without borders.
Through his many critically acclaimed novels, stories, essays, plays, and memoirs, Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has been at the forefront of world literature for decades. He has also been, in his own words, “a language warrior,” fighting for indigenous African languages to find their rightful place in the literary world. Having begun his writing career in English, Ngũgĩ shifted to writing in his native language Gikũyũ in 1977, a stance both creatively and politically significant. For decades now, Ngũgĩ has been translating his Gikũyũ works into English himself, and he has used many platforms to champion the practice and cause of literary translations, which he calls “the language of languages.”
This volume brings together for the first time Ngũgĩ’s essays and lectures about translation, written and delivered over the past two decades. Here we find Ngũgĩ discussing translation as a conversation between cultures; proposing that dialogue among African languages is the way to unify African peoples; reflecting on the complexities of auto-translation or translating one’s own work; exploring the essential task translation performed in the history of the propagation of thought; and pleading for the hierarchy of languages to be torn down. He also shares his many experiences of writing across languages, including his story The Upright Revolution, which has been translated into more than a hundred languages around the globe and is the most widely translated text written by an African author. At a time when dialogues between cultures and peoples are more essential than ever, The Language of Languages makes an outspoken case for the value of literature without borders.
116 pages, Hardcover
Published February 5, 2023
4 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
108 books2,017 followersNgũgĩ wa Thiong'o was a Kenyan author and academic, who was described as East Africa's leading novelist.
He began writing in English before later switching to write primarily in Gikuyu, becoming a strong advocate for literature written in native African languages. His works include the celebrated novel The River Between, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He was the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri. His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright was translated into more than 100 languages.
In 1977, Ngũgĩ embarked upon a novel form of theatre in Kenya that sought to liberate the theatrical process from what he held to be "the general bourgeois education system", by encouraging spontaneity and audience participation in the performances. His project sought to "demystify" the theatrical process, and to avoid the "process of alienation [that] produces a gallery of active stars and an undifferentiated mass of grateful admirers" which, according to Ngũgĩ, encourages passivity in "ordinary people". Although his landmark play Ngaahika Ndeenda, co-written with Ngũgĩ wa Mirii, was a commercial success, it was shut down by the authoritarian Kenyan regime six weeks after its opening.
Ngũgĩ was subsequently imprisoned for more than a year. Adopted as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, he was released from prison and fled Kenya. He was appointed Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine. He previously taught at Northwestern University, Yale University, and New York University. Ngũgĩ was frequently regarded as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He won the 2001 International Nonino Prize in Italy, and the 2016 Park Kyong-ni Prize. Among his children are authors Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ and Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ.
He began writing in English before later switching to write primarily in Gikuyu, becoming a strong advocate for literature written in native African languages. His works include the celebrated novel The River Between, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He was the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri. His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright was translated into more than 100 languages.
In 1977, Ngũgĩ embarked upon a novel form of theatre in Kenya that sought to liberate the theatrical process from what he held to be "the general bourgeois education system", by encouraging spontaneity and audience participation in the performances. His project sought to "demystify" the theatrical process, and to avoid the "process of alienation [that] produces a gallery of active stars and an undifferentiated mass of grateful admirers" which, according to Ngũgĩ, encourages passivity in "ordinary people". Although his landmark play Ngaahika Ndeenda, co-written with Ngũgĩ wa Mirii, was a commercial success, it was shut down by the authoritarian Kenyan regime six weeks after its opening.
Ngũgĩ was subsequently imprisoned for more than a year. Adopted as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, he was released from prison and fled Kenya. He was appointed Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine. He previously taught at Northwestern University, Yale University, and New York University. Ngũgĩ was frequently regarded as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He won the 2001 International Nonino Prize in Italy, and the 2016 Park Kyong-ni Prize. Among his children are authors Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ and Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 24, 2024
Anyone who likes to read translated fiction should read this brilliant collection of essays about language and translation between languages.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o began writing in English, despite it not being his first language of Gikũyũ. The fact that English is the language of the oppressive coloniser in his native Kenya is indicative of the power of European languages as being seen as more important. When he began writing his works in Gikũyũ in 1978 this was for both political and creative reasons. Because every language has its own unique musicality. To deny this is to enable those languages to die out.
There are some repetitions of ideas and anecdotes across this collection, but this actually helped me to zone in on the importance of his central arguments. Languages have their own unique musicality and don't necessarily require a direct translation in order to be appreciated. But using the language of translation also offers us a unique worldview to share stories and find similarities and differences between communities and cultures.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o began writing in English, despite it not being his first language of Gikũyũ. The fact that English is the language of the oppressive coloniser in his native Kenya is indicative of the power of European languages as being seen as more important. When he began writing his works in Gikũyũ in 1978 this was for both political and creative reasons. Because every language has its own unique musicality. To deny this is to enable those languages to die out.
There are some repetitions of ideas and anecdotes across this collection, but this actually helped me to zone in on the importance of his central arguments. Languages have their own unique musicality and don't necessarily require a direct translation in order to be appreciated. But using the language of translation also offers us a unique worldview to share stories and find similarities and differences between communities and cultures.
Read
September 24, 2024As a (short) collection of (short) speeches, this book doesn't go too deep. I might need to reassess my belief that works that have gone through 2 translations are somehow inferior. Maybe I'm unaware of my privilege regarding dominant languages and/or have an overly purist mindset.
page 41,
We can use English to enable conversation where two languages are currently not able to converse directly. … English and other languages similarly situated become mediators among several marginalized languages.
page 41,
We can use English to enable conversation where two languages are currently not able to converse directly. … English and other languages similarly situated become mediators among several marginalized languages.
Read
May 21, 2023A collection of lectures and essays by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, an author whose work I haven't otherwise read (I'm going to rectify this), who is notable for, after writing his first few novels in English, deciding from then on to write in his native Gĩkũyũ. Gĩkũyũ is not really a household name as world languages go, but it has around 6 million native speakers, which is comparable to—more than, actually—Norwegian, for example. Ngũgĩ mentions that his publishers accept his Gĩkũyũ manuscripts, with the intention that they will be translated into a marketable, profitable English edition. This largely undercuts Ngũgĩ's goal of producing more literature in indigenous African languages, and makes it hard for him to publish a lot of his work in the way that he wants.
The essays here examine the relationship between colonialism and language, and argue for a translation model that does not value certain languages over others, but instead recognizes the importance for each language to have a vibrant & living literary tradition. This was best embodied in the Jalada Translation Issue, which took a short story by Ngũgĩ and translated it into 100 languages, a large portion of which were African languages, and which are available online. I wish there were more projects like these, and I'm thankful for the translators and editors who made such an endeavor possible.
The essays here examine the relationship between colonialism and language, and argue for a translation model that does not value certain languages over others, but instead recognizes the importance for each language to have a vibrant & living literary tradition. This was best embodied in the Jalada Translation Issue, which took a short story by Ngũgĩ and translated it into 100 languages, a large portion of which were African languages, and which are available online. I wish there were more projects like these, and I'm thankful for the translators and editors who made such an endeavor possible.
October 21, 2025
Every translator and fan of literary translation should read this book. It's a slim volume, under 100 pages, but rich in ideas. May Ngūgĩ wa Thiong'o rest in peace and power. Thanks to him for this legacy.
October 24, 2025
3.5
I liked the overall idea behind the book but found the essay selection to be too repetitive.
I liked the overall idea behind the book but found the essay selection to be too repetitive.
July 18, 2024
Adapted from a series of talks at various conferences etc. Thiong'o lays out his thoughts on translation as the language of languages, tries to dismantle hierarchies between languages keeping up the work from Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. The thin volume is easily accessible but is also repetitive as a product of being a collection of talks - the same examples reoccur many times, and the points as well - but it is still a very nice read for those interested in languages, translation, and postcolonialism.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews