Book of My Life: Mukoma Wa Ngugi

Writers tell us about their favourite book, followed by a book-signing session.

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Information

Date and time Friday 17 January 2020 21:20 tot 21:40 uur
Location Filmhuis - Studio A

Writers tell us about their favourite book: the book that inspires or touches them, that set their artistic, moral or intellectual compass. In short, the book they would recommend to everyone. Interview: Jet Steinz.

Jet Steinz

(The Netherlands, 1990) is a writer and programme maker for the Writers Unlimited Festival The Hague. Together with her father, Pieter Steinz, she published Steinz. Gids voor de wereldliteratuur (Steinz: Guide to world literature, 2005). In this reference book, the writers give an overview of narrative fiction including 416 writers, 104 masterpieces, 52 bookwebs, 52 literary maps, 26 themes, 26 quizzes and 26 one-book wonders. In 2016 her novel De tranen van Saar (The Tears of Saar) were published as part of the Young Adult-book series Sterren van morgen (Stars of Tomorrow). In 2019, she published P.S. Van liefdespost tot hatemail (P.S. From Love Letters to Hatemail), a collection of 150 remarkable, funny or moving letters in Dutch she found in archives. Together with her essayistic descriptions, the facsimiles tell the history of letters while also revealing a portrayal of The Netherlands through the ages.
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Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ

(USA, 1971) grew up in Kenya but returned to the US to study political science, English and creative writing. He is a writer, political analyst and columnist for BBC Focus on Africa Magazine. Wa Ngũgĩ wrote several novels, including Nairobi Heat (2009), Black Star Nairobi (2013) and Mrs. Shaw (2015), as well as two volumes of poetry: Hurling Words at Consciousness (2006) en Logotherapy a decade later. He also wrote non-fiction titles, including Conversing with Africa: Politics of Change (2003) and The Rise of the African Novel: Politics of Language, Identity and Ownership (2018). He has written many political essays and columns for publications like the LA Times and World LIterature Today. Wa Ngũgĩ is a professor of English at Cornell University in New York and the son of the Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.
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