{"product_id":"the-perfect-nine-the-epic-of-g-297-k-361-y-361-and-m-361-mbi","title":"The Perfect Nine: The Epic of G\u0026#297;k\u0026#361;y\u0026#361; And M\u0026#361;mbi","description":"\u003cb\u003eA dazzling, genre-defying novel in verse from the author Delia Owens says \"tackles the absurdities, injustices, and corruption of a continent\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003eNgũgĩ wa Thiong'o's novels and memoirs have received glowing praise from the likes of President Barack Obama, the \u003cem\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e, and NPR; he has been a finalist for the Man International Booker Prize and is annually tipped to win the Nobel Prize for Literature; and his books have sold tens of thousands of copies around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn his first attempt at the epic form, Ngũgĩ tells the story of the founding of the Gĩkũyũ people of Kenya, from a strongly feminist perspective. A verse narrative, blending folklore, mythology, adventure, and allegory, \u003cem\u003eThe Perfect Nine\u003c\/em\u003e chronicles the efforts the Gĩkũyũ founders make to find partners for their ten beautiful daughters--called \"The Perfect Nine\" --and the challenges they set for the 99 suitors who seek their hands in marriage. The epic has all the elements of adventure, with suspense, danger, humor, and sacrifice.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNgũgĩ's epic is a quest for the beautiful as an ideal of living, as the motive force behind migrations of African peoples. He notes, \"The epic came to me one night as a revelation of ideals of quest, courage, perseverance, unity, family; and the sense of the divine, in human struggles with nature and nurture.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the leading writers and scholars at work today, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was born in Limuru, Kenya, in 1938. He is the author of \u003cem\u003eA Grain of Wheat\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eWeep Not, Child\u003c\/em\u003e; and \u003cem\u003ePetals of Blood\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as \u003cem\u003eBirth of a Dream Weaver\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWrestling with the Devil\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMinutes of Glory\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Perfect Nine\u003c\/em\u003e (all from The New Press). Currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature and the director of the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine, Ngũgĩ is the recipient of twelve honorary doctorates, among other awards, and has been nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"New Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50651223326994,"sku":"9781620975251","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3399f7cf-9302-4791-8bd8-32cafc9e5763.jpg?v=1733297892","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-perfect-nine-the-epic-of-g-297-k-361-y-361-and-m-361-mbi","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}