Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe (English: Chinua Achebe, November 16, 1930 - March 21, 2013), whose real name is Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe, was a Nigerian novelist, poet and critic. His famous work Things Fall Apart is the most widely read work in African literature. Achebe was born into a Protestant family in Ogidi, an Igbo village in southeastern Nigeria. He excelled academically and received an undergraduate scholarship. While in college he became interested in world religions and African indigenous cultures, and began writing short stories. After graduation, he worked for Radio Nigeria and soon moved to the metropolis of Lagos. He attracted world attention with the publication of "Falling Down" in the late 1950s; he later published the novels "The Troubles" (1960), "Arrow" (1964), "Servant of the People" (1966) and "Anthill in the Wasteland" (1987). Achebe wrote novels in English and publicly supported the use of this colonizer's language in works written by Africans. In 1975, his lecture "Impressions of Africa: Racial Prejudice in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" became the focus of controversy because he criticized Joseph Conrad as a "complete racist". When the Biafra region seceded from Nigeria in 1967, Achebe became a staunch supporter of Biafra's independence and served as a committee member of the new regime. As the war took its toll on civilians, violence and famine continued to spread death, and he sought humanitarian aid from Europeans and Americans. When the Nigerian government reannexed the region in 1970, he joined the ruling party, but soon quit the party, disillusioned with the corruption and discrimination he saw firsthand. He lived in the United States for several years in the 1970s, and returned to the United States after a car accident in Nigeria in 1990 left him partially disabled. Achebe's novels focus on Igbo traditions, the influence of Christianity, and the collision of colonial and postcolonial cultures. He draws from the oral literature of the Igbo tradition, often directly quoting folktales, proverbs and famous sayings. He has also published numerous short stories, children's literature, and essay collections. He served as the Stevenson Professor of Languages ​​and Literature at Bard College on the Hudson River in New York for a long time until his death on March 21, 2013.