# A Grain of Wheat

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/ngugi-wa-thiong-o/a-grain-of-wheat

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![A Grain of Wheat](https://quivercdn.com/covers/penguin-classics/ngugi-wa-thiongo/a-grain-of-wheat_978-01-4118-699-3.jpg?v=2026-04-23%2012%3A23%3A08)

- Authors: [Ngugi wa Thiong'o](https://www.bookquiver.com/ngugi-wa-thiong-o)
- Language: en_GB
- Published: 2002-02-07

## Description

Originally published in 1967, Ngugi's third novel is his best known and most ambitious work. A GRAIN OF WHEAT portrays several characters in a village whose intertwined lives are transformed by the 1952-1960 Emergency in Kenya. As the action follows the village's arrangements for Uhuru (independence) Day, this is a novel of stories within stories, a narrative interwoven with myth as well as allusions to real-life leaders of the nationalist struggle, including Jomo Kenyatta. At the centre of it all is the reticent Mugo, the village's chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret. As events unfold, compromises are forced, friendships are betrayed and loves are tested.

## Editions

### A Grain of Wheat

- Publisher: penguin_classics
- ISBN: 978-01-4310-676-0
- Pages: 272
- Published: 2012-06-05
- Language: en_US

### A Grain of Wheat

- Publisher: penguin_classics
- ISBN: 978-01-4118-699-3
- Pages: 272
- Published: 2002-02-07
- Language: en_GB