Popular Fiction and the Popular Press in Kenya

Abstract

This chapter explores the emergence and growth of popular fiction in the Kenyan written press. It begins with a discussion of the roles played by the universities of Nairobi, Makerere and Ibadan in the development of African literature in general. The chapter then looks at the emergence of popular literature as a category of critical literary exegesis in the early 1970s. The discussion then examines the popular press as a space for apprenticeship for a number of writers and the emergence of popular fiction columns in the Kenyan popular press. The chapter also looks at the influence Joe and Drum magazines had on Kenya’s newspaper fiction columns. The chapter argues that while the academy played a key role in shaping East African literature, pioneering a new literary narrative, this was later radically revised by an emergent group of writers of popular fiction.