Devil on the Cross

E516064

Devil on the Cross is a politically charged novel by Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o that critiques neocolonialism and corruption in post-independence Kenya.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Devil on the Cross canonical 2

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf novel
addresses cultural nationalism
women’s oppression
workers’ struggles
author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
character Gatuiria
Jacinta Wariinga
Mutiiri
The Devil
linked to: the Devil
countryOfOrigin Kenya
criticizes corruption in independent Kenya
foreign economic domination
local comprador bourgeoisie
neocolonial elites
firstPublicationLanguage Gikuyu
form allegorical narrative
didactic fiction
genre political novel
postcolonial literature
social realist novel
hasTranslation English translation by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
influencedBy Marxist thought
anti-imperialist politics
language English
literaryMovement African postcolonial literature
radical realism
mainTheme class struggle
corruption
exploitation
neocolonialism
resistance
narrativePerspective first-person
notableFor being one of the first major novels written in Gikuyu
originalLanguage Gikuyu
originalTitle Caitaani Mutharaba-Ini
plotElement competition of thieves and robbers
journey from Nairobi to Ilmorog
protagonist Jacinta Wariinga
publicationYear 1980
publisherOfFirstEdition Heinemann
series African Writers Series
setting Ilmorog
Nairobi
post-independence Kenya
symbolism feast of thieves as allegory of neocolonial capitalism
the devil as metaphor for exploitative system
timePeriodDepicted 1970s Kenya
writtenDuring Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s imprisonment
writtenOn prison-issued toilet paper

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o notableWork Devil on the Cross
Petals of Blood followedBy Devil on the Cross