With more than forty titles, David G. Maillu is not only Kenya's most prolific writer but also the favorite author of the average reader in the country. Although his Comb Books novels and novelettes did not penetrate the school market, they were a phenomenal success in the 1970s. The success of the novels sparked controversy over their effect on the morality of the youth, but there was no doubt that an important popular writer had arrived on Kenya's literary scene.

David Gian Maillu was born in Kilungu Location, a village in what is now the Eastern Province of Kenya, to poor and illiterate peasants. His father, Joseph Mulandi, and his mother, Esther Kavuli, did not keep a record of their son's date of birth, but Maillu has managed to "fix" his birthday as 19 October 1939, though the day is uncertain. In accordance with Kamba traditions, he was not given...