Key Facts:

• Writer: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1938–2025)
• Full Title: Petals of Blood
• Written Time: 1971–1976
• First Published: 1977 (Heinemann Educational Books, London)
• Genre: Postcolonial Novel / Political Allegory / Social Realist Fiction
• Tone: Critical, Revolutionary, Reflective, Tragic
• Structure: Three Parts – “Walking,” “Toward Bethlehem,” and “To Be Born”
• Language: English (later translated by Ngũgĩ into Gikuyu)
• Narrative Technique: Third-person omniscient; realist style with symbolic elements
• Point of View: Multiple perspectives focusing mainly on Munira, Wanja, Karega, and Abdulla
• Time Setting: Post-independence Kenya (around late 1960s–early 1970s)
• Place Setting: Ilmorog, a rural village that grows into a town
• Symbolism: Fire (purification and destruction), Theng’eta drink (exploitation), Land (identity and power)
• Major Conflicts: Rich vs. Poor; Tradition vs. Modernity; Idealism vs. Corruption
• Significance of Title: “Petals of Blood” symbolizes beauty born from suffering, hope rising through pain and sacrifice.