The first time I met Binyavanga Wainaina was in 2018. I was working on a piece about Kwani, and so I had a list of things I wanted to ask him about. I had been talking to Yvonne Owuor before this, and she warned me that Binyavanga was not in the best of states, and
Last week, Jennifer Makumbi, the internationally acclaimed writer of Kintu, launched her second book Manchester Happened in Nairobi, Kenya. This began her long awaited East African tour that was set for May. She started with Nairobi on the 9th and 10th of May, immediately traveled to Kigali, Rwanda on the 11th of May and is
Last Friday, on the first of March, 2019, Yvonne Adhiambo Owour launched her second book, The Dragonfly Sea, for the first time ever in the entire world. She honoured us by launching it at Prestige bookshop with an open audience and a mini panel discussion. Nairobi was not prepared for the explosive event that took
The Dragonfly Sea by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor This Friday (1st March) Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor will launch her second novel, The Dragonfly Sea at Prestige Bookshop. A befitting homecoming to a Kenyan literary star, this will be the first launch of the book anywhere in the world. The event will take place between 5 and
The top 100 Bestsellers in Kenya of 2018 2018 has been a good year for Kenyan readers and writers. With new local works like Biko Zulu’s “Drunk,” and Sunny Bindra’s “The Bigger Deal” and new international works like Michelle Obama’s long coveted Becoming and Robert Green’s Laws of Human nature, the list below shares Kenyan’s
The Man-Booker 2018 An award that celebrates the finest fiction has to offer. The Oscars for literature if you may. Tuxedos, fancy venue, and royalty make up the Man Booker Prize evening each year. This award has the power to set the spotlight on astonishingly underrated authors. I probably would not have found authors like
Title: This Mournable Body Author: Tsitsi Dangarembga Publisher: Graywolf Press Reviewed by: Zukiswa Wanner Pages: 284 Cost: 1,650 In the early hours of Sunday morning, at 0246hrs to be precise, I sent a WhatsApp text to a bookish friend who often shares the same taste with me in literature: I’m on p57 of This
A Nation’s Open Secret Told in Fiction Title: House of Stone Author: Novuyo Rosa Tshuma Publisher: Atlantic Books Cost: 1850/ I am a man on a mission. A vocation, call it, to remake the past, and a wish to fashion all that has been into being and becoming. So says Novuyo Rosa Tshuma’s protagonist
Rush hour traffic can be an annoying inconvenience after a long day. Can you imagine how long we spend in a matatu in a week? Six to ten whole Hours! However, a good book can go a long way in easing your impatience and help you catch up on your reading. We have compiled ten
In the past decade, African writing has gone through a Renaissance. More than ever, African literary voices are being read all over the world. This growth has been spurred in part by readers across the continent who want stories about themselves reflected in fiction that is current while not ignoring history. Prestige Bookshop in Nairobi
Dec 27Kenya’s Top 2017 Reads
1. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin (KES 1,350) To the dismay of her ambitious mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. She is a graduate and therefore a great prize, but even graduates must produce children and her
Title: Turtles All the Way Down Author: John Green ISBN: 9780241335437 Page count: 304 Pages Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers John Green‘s 2012 novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ was a runaway bestseller that spawned a critically acclaimed movie of the same name. His books have resonated with young readers worldwide not