Petals of Blood is a 1977 novel by Ngugi wa Thiong'o set in post-independence Kenya; its title derives from a line in Derek Walcott’s poem, “The Swamp.” The story centers on four characters whose lives are drastically changed as a result of the rebellion, as they learn how to adapt and survive in a rapidly Westernizing environment.
In 1969, Ngugi told an interviewer that the ideal African novel would "embrace the pre-colonial past[,] . . . the colonial past, and the post-independence period with a pointer to the future,” and critics see Petals as the encapsulation of such an ideal. Ngugi worked on the novel for five years, finishing it in 1975 at the Soviet Writers Union in Yalta.
At its book launch in 1977, Kenyan Vice President Mwai Kibaki claimed that his presence there meant that Kenya defended free speech, but Ngugi was detained that same year and then later arrested that year after he released his Gikuyu play, I Will Marry When I Want.
Petals of Blood was well-received by critics, especially for its strong political themes that include capitalism, Westernization, neocolonialism, and education. In the 1980s, the book was adapted into a two-hour radio play on BBC Radio 3.
