Devil on the Cross is a biting, satirical critique of neocolonialism and Western capitalistic practices. Ngũgĩ wrote the novel on toilet paper in his native Gĩkũyũ while imprisoned in the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. When it was nearly complete, the work was discovered and confiscated; surprisingly, however, it was returned to Ngũgĩ following his release in 1978. The novel was first published in Gĩkũyũ in 1980, and a version translated into English by Ngũgĩ himself was released in 1982. The story is a cry for Kenyans to free themselves from exploitative Western neocolonial practices and to make African literature for Africans in their own dialects.
The narration follows the life of...
