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Showing posts from February 25, 2018

Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye: The Uncelebrated Chronicler of Kenya’s Post-Colonial Disillusionment

The news of Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye’s passing arrived quietly, slipping into public consciousness with none of the fanfare befitting a writer of her stature. It was not announced with solemn tributes on national television, nor did it trend on social media. Instead, I stumbled upon the fact of her death a full year later, while searching for details about her life online. The realization struck me like a physical blow—another literary giant had departed, and Kenya, the country she loved and documented with such unflinching clarity, had barely paused to notice.   Marjorie was not just a novelist; she was a historian of the everyday, a witness to the promises and betrayals of post-colonial Kenya. Born in England but Kenyan in spirit, she immersed herself in the Luo culture with a depth that put native writers to shame. Her masterpiece, *Coming to Birth*, was more than a set book for high school students—it was a mirror held up to a nation stumbling through the chaotic aftermath ...