A Grain Of Wheat

The AWS Classics is a brand-new Heinemann series which offers a selection of the best-known works of African literature originally published in the African Writes Series. With new introductions written for each title in the series, these classic novels are a must-read for anyone interested in African Literature.

Set in 1963, A Grain of Wheat tells the story of Kenya on the verge of Uhuru – its Independence Day. The novel focuses on Mugo, a man affected by his childhood, the years in the State of Emergency and his own demons within. While Mugo’s home village makes preparations for Kenya’s Independence Day celebration, former resistance fighters General R and Koinandu are busy making their own plans to publicly execute – on the same day – the traitor who betrayed a heroic resistance fighter hailing from the village. The story unfolds as we learn of Mugo’s involvement in all this.