Ngugi wa Thiongo feted with Award for Achievement in International Literature

Acclaimed Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o has been honored with the prestigious Award for Achievement in International Literature.

The ‘Birth of a Dream Weaver’ author was named the 2022 PEN/Nabokov Award recipient ahead of the award ceremony slated for February 28 in New York City, becoming the first African to be awarded the honor.

In honoring him with the award, the PEN America judging panel hailed the writer’s works as “greatly honest and sensitive”, describing him as a transformative figure in African literature.

Ngugi will be feted alongside American comedian and screenwriter Elaine May who will be conferred with the PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award, as well as playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, the 2022 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award winner.

The award comes with a 5.6 million shillings prize.

Ngugi’s works span over five decades and range from novels, plays, memoirs, short stories and essays.