Chinua Achebe

Who is Chinua Achebe?

Chinua Achebe, born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe in Ogidi in south-eastern Nigeria, is widely regarded as the father of modern African literature. His debut novel Things Fall Apart (1958) portrays the Igbo society of Umuofia and the disruptive arrival of British colonial rule and Christian missionaries through the tragic figure of Okonkwo. It became the most widely read work of modern African fiction, translated into more than fifty languages and selling millions of copies. Achebe followed it with No Longer at Ease (1960) and Arrow of God (1964), together forming his celebrated African Trilogy. He worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service, taught at universities in Nigeria and the United States, and edited the influential African Writers Series. His essay 'An Image of Africa' sharply criticised Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. In 2007 he received the Man Booker International Prize for his overall literary achievement.

Sources: Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (1958) · Chinua Achebe, Arrow of God (1964) · Chinua Achebe, 'An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness' (1975) · Man Booker International Prize 2007 citation