• Mika Nyoni

  Author

This article attempts a socialist realist reading of Time of the Butcherbird, by Alex
La Guma, I Will Marry When I Want, by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa Mirii and The
Honourable MP, by Gonzo Musengezi. Socialist realism is one of the most comprehensive
literary criticism theories as it looks at the socio-economic aspect of society which ultimately
determines the society’s character, which in turn influences the thinking of the individuals
who comprise it, writers included – an influence which is not always for the established
order but sometimes an interrogation of it in the form, not only of what is said but also,
perhaps more importantly, how it is said or aesthetically packaged in order to have the
intended impact on the reader. The latter is the focus of this paper and what is noted is that
although the content is crucial in Marxist works as they are meant to be ‘revolutionary’, the
form the art is made to assume by its creator contributes significantly to its appreciation by
the consumers.

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