Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe | |
---|---|
Born | Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe 16 November 1930 Ogidi, Colonial Nigeria |
Died | 21 March 2013 Boston, Massachusetts, US | (aged 82)
Notable works |
|
Children | 4, including Chidi Chike and Nwando |
Chinua Achebe (
Born in
Achebe sought to escape the colonial perspective that framed African literature at the time, and drew from the traditions of the Igbo people, Christian influences, and the clash of Western and African values to create a uniquely African voice. He wrote in and defended the use of English, describing it as a means to reach a broad audience, particularly readers of colonial nations. In 1975 he gave a controversial lecture, "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness", which was a landmark in postcolonial discourse. Published in The Massachusetts Review, it featured criticism of Albert Schweitzer and Joseph Conrad, whom Achebe described as "a thoroughgoing racist." When the region of Biafra broke away from Nigeria in 1967, Achebe supported Biafran independence and acted as ambassador for the people of the movement. The subsequent Nigerian Civil War ravaged the populace, and he appealed to the people of Europe and the Americas for aid. When the Nigerian government retook the region in 1970, he involved himself in political parties but soon became disillusioned by his frustration over the continuous corruption and elitism he witnessed. He lived in the United States for several years in the 1970s, and returned to the US in 1990 after a car crash left him partially paralyzed. He stayed in the US in a nineteen-year tenure at Bard College as a professor of languages and literature.
Winning the 2007
Life and career
Youth and background (1930–1947)
Chinua Achebe was born on 16 November 1930 and baptised Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe.
Storytelling was a mainstay of the Igbo tradition and an integral part of the community. Achebe's mother and his sister Zinobia told him many stories as a child, which he repeatedly requested. His education was furthered by the collages his father hung on the walls of their home, as well as almanacs and numerous books—including a prose adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (c. 1590) and an Igbo version of Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678).[10] Achebe eagerly anticipated traditional village events, like the frequent masquerade ceremonies, which he would later recreate in his novels and stories.[11]
In 1936, Achebe entered St Philips' Central School in the Akpakaogwe region of Ogidi for his primary education.
University (1948–1953)
In 1948, Nigeria's first university opened in preparation for the country's independence.[16] Known as University College (now the University of Ibadan), it was an associate college of the University of London. Achebe was admitted as the university's first intake and given a bursary to study medicine.[16] During his studies, Achebe became critical of Western literature about Africa, particularly Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.[17] He decided to become a writer after reading Mister Johnson by Joyce Cary because of the book's portrayal of its Nigerian characters as either savages or buffoons.[18] Achebe recognised his dislike for the African protagonist as a sign of the author's cultural ignorance.[19] He abandoned medicine to study English, history, and theology,[20] a switch which lost him his scholarship and required extra tuition fees. To compensate, the government provided a bursary, and his family donated money—his older brother Augustine gave up money for a trip home from his job as a civil servant so Achebe could continue his studies.[21]
Achebe's debut as an author was in 1950 when he wrote a piece for the University Herald, the university's magazine,
After the final examinations at Ibadan in 1953, Achebe was awarded a second-class degree.
Teaching and producing (1953–1956)
As a teacher he urged his students to read extensively and be original in their work.[33] The students did not have access to the newspapers he had read as a student, so Achebe made his own available in the classroom. He taught in Oba for four months. He left the institution in 1954 and moved to Lagos to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS),[34] a radio network started in 1933 by the colonial government.[35] He was assigned to the Talks Department to prepare scripts for oral delivery. This helped him master the subtle nuances between written and spoken language, a skill that helped him later to write realistic dialogue.[36]
Lagos made a significant impression on him. A huge conurbation, the city teemed with recent migrants from the rural villages. Achebe revelled in the social and political activity around him and began work on a novel.[37] This was challenging since very little African fiction had been written in English, although Amos Tutuola's Palm-Wine Drinkard and Cyprian Ekwensi's People of the City were notable exceptions.[38] A visit to Nigeria by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956 highlighted issues of colonialism and politics, and was a significant moment for Achebe.[39]
Also in 1956, Achebe was selected to attend the staff training school for the BBC.[40] His first trip outside Nigeria was an opportunity to advance his technical production skills, and to solicit feedback on his novel (which was later split into two books). In London, he met the novelist Gilbert Phelps, to whom he offered the manuscript. Phelps responded with great enthusiasm, asking Achebe if he could show it to his editor and publishers. Achebe declined, insisting that it needed more work.[38]
Things Fall Apart (1957–1960)
Back in Nigeria, Achebe set to work revising and editing his novel; he titled it Things Fall Apart, after a line in the poem "The Second Coming" by W. B. Yeats. He cut away the second and third sections of the book, leaving only the story of a yam farmer named Okonkwo who lives during the colonization of Nigeria and struggles with his father's debtor legacy.[41][A 2] He added sections, improved various chapters, and restructured the prose.[41]
In 1957 he sent his only copy of his handwritten manuscript (along with the £22 fee) to a London manuscript typing service he had seen an advertisement for in
The book was received well by the British press, and received positive reviews from critic Walter Allen and novelist Angus Wilson. Three days after publication, The Times Literary Supplement wrote that the book "genuinely succeeds in presenting tribal life from the inside". The Observer called it "an excellent novel", and the literary magazine Time and Tide said that "Mr. Achebe's style is a model for aspirants".[47] Initial reception in Nigeria was mixed. When Hill tried to promote the book in West Africa, he was met with scepticism and ridicule. The faculty at the University of Ibadan was amused at the thought of a worthwhile novel being written by an alumnus.[48] Others were more supportive; one review in the magazine Black Orpheus said: "The book as a whole creates for the reader such a vivid picture of Igbo life that the plot and characters are little more than symbols representing a way of life lost irrevocably within living memory."[49] When Things Fall Apart was published in 1958, Achebe was promoted at the NBS and put in charge of the network's Eastern region coverage.[50] That same year Achebe began dating Christiana Chinwe (Christie) Okoli, a woman who had grown up in the area and joined the NBS staff when he arrived.[51] The couple moved to Enugu and began to work on his administrative duties.[51]
No Longer at Ease and fellowship travels (1960–1961)
In 1960 Achebe published
Achebe used the fellowship to tour East Africa. He first travelled to
Two years later, Achebe travelled to the United States and Brazil as part of a Fellowship for Creative Artists awarded by UNESCO. He met with a number of writers from the US, including novelists Ralph Ellison and Arthur Miller.[59] In Brazil, he discussed the complications of writing in Portuguese with other authors. Achebe worried that the vibrant literature of the nation would be lost if left untranslated into a more widely spoken language.[60]
Voice of Nigeria and African Writers Series (1961–1964)
On his return to Nigeria in 1961, Achebe was promoted at the NBS to the position of Director of External Broadcasting. One of his primary duties was to help create the
While at Makerere, Achebe was asked to read a novel written by a student named James Ngugi (later known as
Achebe published an essay entitled "Where Angels Fear to Tread" in the December 1962 issue of Nigeria Magazine in reaction to critiques African work was receiving from international authors. The essay distinguished between the hostile critic (entirely negative), the amazed critic (entirely positive), and the conscious critic (who seeks a balance). He lashed out at those who critiqued African writers from the outside, saying: "no man can understand another whose language he does not speak (and 'language' here does not mean simply words, but a man's entire worldview)."[66] In September 1964 he attended the Commonwealth Literature conference at the University of Leeds, presenting his essay "The Novelist as Teacher".[67]
Personal life
Achebe and Christie married on 10 September 1961,[50] holding the ceremony in the Chapel of Resurrection on the campus of the University of Ibadan.[68] Their first child, a daughter named Chinelo, was born on 11 July 1962.[69] They had a son, Ikechukwu, on 3 December 1964, and another boy, Chidi, on 24 May 1967. Their last child, a daughter, named Nwando, was born on 7 March 1970. When the children began attending school in Lagos, their parents became worried about the worldview—especially with regard to race—expressed at the school, particularly through the mostly white teachers and books that presented a prejudiced view of African life.[69] In 1966, Achebe published his first children's book, Chike and the River, to address some of these concerns.[70]
Arrow of God (1964–1966)
Achebe's third book,
Like its predecessors, the work explores the intersections of Igbo tradition and European Christianity. Set in the village of Umuaro at the start of the twentieth century, the novel tells the story of Ezeulu, a Chief Priest of Ulu.[50] Shocked by the power of British imperialism in the area, he orders his son to learn the foreigners' secrets. Ezeulu is consumed by the resulting tragedy.[75] In a letter written to Achebe, American writer John Updike expressed his surprised admiration for the sudden downfall of Arrow of God's protagonist and praised the author's courage to write "an ending few Western novelists would have contrived".[69] Achebe responded by suggesting that the individualistic hero was rare in African literature, given its roots in communal living and the degree to which characters are "subject to non-human forces in the universe".[76]
A Man of the People (1966–1967)
Achebe's fourth novel,
The ending of his novel had brought Achebe to the attention of the Nigerian Armed Forces, who suspected him of having foreknowledge of the coup. When he received word of the pursuit, he sent his wife (who was pregnant) and children on a squalid boat through a series of unseen creeks to the Eastern stronghold of Port Harcourt. They arrived safely, but Christie suffered a miscarriage at the journey's end. Chinua rejoined them soon afterwards in Ogidi. These cities were safe from military incursion because they were in the southeast, a part of the region that would later secede.[80]
Once the family had resettled in Enugu, Achebe and his friend Christopher Okigbo started a publishing house called Citadel Press to improve the quality and increase the quantity of literature available to younger readers. One of its first submissions was a story called How the Dog was Domesticated, which Achebe revised and rewrote, turning it into a complex allegory for the country's political tumult. Its final title was How the Leopard Got His Claws.[81] Years later a Nigerian intelligence officer told Achebe, "of all the things that came out of Biafra, that book was most important."[82]
Nigeria-Biafra War (1967–1970)
In May 1967, the southeastern region of Nigeria broke away to form the Republic of Biafra; in July the Nigerian military attacked to suppress what it considered an unlawful rebellion.[83] The Achebe family narrowly escaped disaster several times during the war, including a bombing of their house.[84] In August 1967, Okigbo was killed fighting in the war.[85] Achebe was shaken considerably by the loss; in 1971 he wrote "Dirge for Okigbo", originally in the Igbo language but later translated to English.[86]
As the war intensified, the Achebe family was forced to leave Enugu for the Biafran capital of Aba. He continued to write throughout the war, but most of his creative work during this time took the form of poetry. The shorter format was a consequence of living in a war zone. "I can write poetry," he said, "something short, intense more in keeping with my mood [...] All this is creating in the context of our struggle."[87] Many of these poems were collected in his 1971 book Beware, Soul Brother. One of his most famous, "Refugee Mother and Child", spoke to the suffering and loss that surrounded him. Dedicated to the promise of Biafra, he accepted a request to serve as foreign ambassador, refusing an invitation from the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University in the US.[88][89][c] Meanwhile, their contemporary Wole Soyinka was imprisoned for meeting with Biafran officials and spent two years in jail. Speaking in 1968, Achebe said: "I find the Nigerian situation untenable. If I had been a Nigerian, I think I would have been in the same situation as Wole Soyinka is—in prison."[91] In his ambassador role, Achebe travelled to European and North American cities to promote the Biafra cause.[54]
Conditions in Biafra worsened as the war continued. In September 1968, the city of Aba fell to the Nigerian military and Achebe once again moved his family, this time to Umuahia, where the Biafran government had relocated. He was chosen to chair the newly formed National Guidance Committee, charged with the task of drafting principles and ideas for the post-war era.[92] In 1969, the group completed a document entitled The Principles of the Biafran Revolution, later released as The Ahiara Declaration.[93] In October of the same year, Achebe joined writers Cyprian Ekwensi and Gabriel Okara for a tour of the United States to raise awareness about the dire situation in Biafra. They visited thirty college campuses and conducted numerous interviews.[94] Although the group was well received by students and faculty, Achebe was shocked by the harsh racist attitude toward Africa he saw in the US. At the end of the tour, he said that "world policy is absolutely ruthless and unfeeling".[94]
The beginning of 1970 saw the end of the state of Biafra. On 12 January, the military surrendered to Nigeria, and Achebe returned with his family to Ogidi, where their home had been destroyed.[95] He took a job at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka and immersed himself once again in academia. He was unable to accept invitations to other countries, however, because the Nigerian government revoked his passport due to his support for Biafra.[96] The Achebe family had another daughter on 7 March 1970, named Nwando.[97]
Postwar academia (1971–1975)
After the war, Achebe helped start two magazines in 1971: the literary journal Okike, a forum for African art, fiction, and poetry;[98] and Nsukkascope, an internal publication of the university.[99][100] Achebe and the Okike committee later established another cultural magazine, Uwa Ndi Igbo, to showcase the indigenous stories and oral traditions of the Igbo community.[101] Achebe handed over the editorship of Okike to Onuora Osmond Enekwe, who was later assisted by Amechi Akwanya.[102] In February 1972, Chinua Achebe released Girls at War, a collection of short stories ranging in time from his undergraduate days to the recent bloodshed. It was the 100th book in Heinemann's African Writers Series.[103]
The University of Massachusetts Amherst offered Achebe a professorship in September 1972, and the family moved to the United States. Their youngest daughter was displeased with her nursery school, and the family soon learned that her frustration involved language. Achebe helped her face what he called the "alien experience" by telling her stories during the car trips to and from school. As he presented his lessons to a wide variety of students (he taught only one class, to a large audience), he began to study the perceptions of Africa in Western scholarship: "Africa is not like anywhere else they know [...] there are no real people in the Dark Continent, only forces operating; and people don't speak any language you can understand, they just grunt, too busy jumping up and down in a frenzy".[104]
Further criticism (1975)
Achebe expanded this criticism when he presented a Chancellor's Lecture at Amherst on 18 February 1975, "
The lecture was controversial immediately following his talk. Many English professors in attendance were upset by his remarks; one elderly professor reportedly approached him, said: "How dare you!",[106] and stormed away. Another suggested that Achebe had "no sense of humour",[106] but several days later Achebe was approached by a third professor, who told him: "I now realize that I had never really read Heart of Darkness although I have taught it for years."[A 6]
Achebe's criticism has become a mainstream perspective on Conrad's work. The essay was included in the 1988
Retirement and politics (1976–1986)
After his service at UMass Amherst and a visiting professorship at the
After his 1981 retirement,[110] he devoted more time to editing Okike and became active with the left-leaning People's Redemption Party (PRP). In 1983, he became the party's deputy national vice-president. He published a book called The Trouble with Nigeria to coincide with the upcoming elections. On the first page, Achebe says: "the Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility and to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership."[113] The elections that followed were marked by violence and charges of fraud. Asked whether he thought Nigerian politics had changed since A Man of the People, Achebe replied: "I think, if anything, the Nigerian politician has deteriorated."[114] After the elections, he engaged in a heated argument—which almost became a fistfight—with Sabo Bakin Zuwo, the newly elected governor of Kano State. He left the PRP and kept his distance from political parties, expressing sadness with his perception of the dishonesty and weakness of the people involved.[115]
He spent most of the 1980s delivering speeches, attending conferences, and working on his sixth novel.[116] In 1986 he was elected president-general of the Ogidi Town Union; he reluctantly accepted and began a three-year term. In the same year, he stepped down as editor of Okike.[117]
Anthills and paralysis (1987–1999)
In 1987 Achebe released his fifth novel, Anthills of the Savannah, about a military coup in the fictional West African nation of Kangan.[118] A finalist for the Booker Prize, the novel was hailed in the Financial Times: "in a powerful fusion of myth, legend and modern styles, Achebe has written a book which is wise, exciting and essential, a powerful antidote to the cynical commentators from 'overseas' who see nothing ever new out of Africa."[119] An opinion piece in the magazine West Africa said the book deserved to win the Booker Prize, and that Achebe was "a writer who has long deserved the recognition that has already been accorded him by his sales figures."[119] The prize went instead to Penelope Lively's novel Moon Tiger.[120]
On 22 March 1990, Achebe was riding in a car to Lagos when an axle collapsed and the car flipped. His son Ikechukwu and the driver suffered minor injuries, but the weight of the vehicle fell on Achebe and his spine was severely damaged. He was flown to the Paddocks Hospital in
Later years and death (2000–2013)
In 2000 Achebe published Home and Exile, a semi-biographical collection of both his thoughts on life away from Nigeria,[124] as well as discussion of the emerging school of Native American literature.[54][d] In October 2005, the London Financial Times reported that Achebe was planning to write a novella for the Canongate Myth Series, a series of short novels in which ancient myths from myriad cultures are reimagined and rewritten by contemporary authors.[54][125]
Achebe was awarded the
In 2012, Achebe published There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra.
Style
Oral tradition
The style of Achebe's fiction draws heavily on the oral tradition of the Igbo people.[134] He incorporates folk tales into his stories, exposing community values in both the content and the form of storytelling. For example, the tale about the Earth and Sky in Things Fall Apart emphasises the interdependency of the masculine and the feminine.[135][A 7] Although Nwoye enjoys hearing his mother tell the tale, Okonkwo's dislike for it is evidence of his imbalance.[135]
Achebe used proverbs to describe the values of the rural Igbo tradition. He includes them throughout the narratives, repeating points made in conversation. Critic Anjali Gera notes that the use of proverbs in Arrow of God "serves to create through an echo effect the judgement of a community upon an individual violation."[136] The use of such repetition in Achebe's urban novels, No Longer at Ease and A Man of the People, is less pronounced.[136]
Achebe's short stories are not as widely studied as his novels, and Achebe himself did not consider them a major part of his work. In the preface for Girls at War and Other Stories, he writes: "A dozen pieces in twenty years must be accounted a pretty lean harvest by any reckoning."[137] Like his novels, the short stories are heavily influenced by the oral tradition. They often have morals emphasising the importance of cultural traditions, as influenced by folk tales.[138]
Use of English
During
Achebe recognises the shortcomings of what Audre Lorde called "the master's tools". In another essay, he notes:
For an African writing in English is not without its serious setbacks. He often finds himself describing situations or modes of thought which have no direct equivalent in the English way of life. Caught in that situation he can do one of two things. He can try and contain what he wants to say within the limits of conventional English or he can try to push back those limits to accommodate his ideas [...] I submit that those who can do the work of extending the frontiers of English so as to accommodate African thought patterns must do it through their mastery of English and not out of innocence.[140]
In another essay, he refers to James Baldwin's struggle to use the English language to accurately represent his experience and his realisation that he needed to take control of the language and expand it.[141] Achebe's novels were a foundation for this process; by altering syntax, usage, and idiom, he transformed the language into a distinctly African style.[142] In some spots this takes the form of repetition of an Igbo idea in standard English parlance; elsewhere it appears as narrative asides integrated into descriptive sentences.[143]
Themes
In his early writing, a depiction of the Igbo culture itself is paramount. Critic Nahem Yousaf highlights the importance of these depictions: "Around the tragic stories of Okonkwo and Ezeulu, Achebe sets about textualising Igbo cultural identity".[144] The portrayal of indigenous life is not simply a matter of literary background, he adds: "Achebe seeks to produce the effect of a precolonial reality as an Igbo-centric response to a Eurocentrically constructed imperial 'reality' ".[145] Certain elements of Achebe's depiction of Igbo life in Things Fall Apart match those in Olaudah Equiano's autobiographical Narrative. Responding to charges that Equiano was not actually born in Africa, Achebe wrote in 1975: "Equiano was an Igbo, I believe, from the village of Iseke in the Orlu division of Nigeria".[146]
Tradition and colonialism
At a time when African writers were being admonished for being obsessed with the past, Achebe argued that confronted by colonial denigration, evacuated from the category of the human, and denied the capacity for thinking and creativity, the African needed a narrative of redemption. A redemptive hermeneutics was pegged on a deep historical sense.
A prevalent theme in Achebe's novels is the intersection of African tradition (particularly Igbo varieties) and modernity, especially as embodied by European colonialism. For example, the village of Umuofia in Things Fall Apart is violently shaken with internal divisions when the white Christian missionaries arrive. Nigerian English professor Ernest N. Emenyonu describes the colonial experience in the novel as "the systematic emasculation of the entire culture".[147] Achebe later embodied this tension between African tradition and Western influence in the figure of Sam Okoli, the president of Kangan in Anthills of the Savannah. Distanced from the myths and tales of the community by his Westernised education, he does not have the capacity for reconnection shown by the character Beatrice.[148]
The colonial impact on the Igbo in Achebe's novels is often affected by individuals from Europe, but institutions and urban offices frequently serve a similar purpose. The character of Obi in No Longer at Ease succumbs to colonial-era corruption in the city; the temptations of his position overwhelm his identity and fortitude.[149] Having shown his acumen for portraying traditional Igbo culture in Things Fall Apart, Achebe demonstrated in No Longer at Ease an ability to depict modern Nigerian life.[150]
The standard Achebean ending results in the destruction of an individual, which leads to the downfall of the community. Odili's descent into the luxury of corruption and
Achebe seeks to portray neither moral absolutes nor a fatalistic inevitability. In 1972, he said: "I never will take the stand that the Old must win or that the New must win. The point is that no single truth satisfied me—and this is well founded in the Igbo worldview. No single man can be correct all the time, no single idea can be totally correct."[153] His perspective is reflected in the words of Ikem, a character in Anthills of the Savannah: "whatever you are is never enough; you must find a way to accept something, however small, from the other to make you whole and to save you from the mortal sin of righteousness and extremism."[154] In a 1996 interview, Achebe said: "Belief in either radicalism or orthodoxy is too simplified a way of viewing things ... Evil is never all evil; goodness on the other hand is often tainted with selfishness."[155]
Masculinity and femininity
The
According to Bestman, in Things Fall Apart Okonkwo's furious manhood overpowers everything "feminine" in his life, including his own conscience, while Achebe's depiction of the chi, or personal god, has been called the "mother within".[160] Okonkwo's father was considered an agbala—a word that refers to a man without title, but is also synonymous with 'woman'. Okonkwo's feminization of his father's laziness and cowardice is typical of the Igbo perspective on any man seen as unsuccessful.[161] His obsession with maleness is fueled by an intense fear of femaleness, which he expresses through the physical and verbal abuse of his wives, his violence towards his community, his constant worry that his son Nwoye is not manly enough, and his wish that his daughter Ezinma had been born a boy. The women in the novel are obedient, quiet, and absent from positions of authority—despite the fact that Igbo women were traditionally involved in village leadership.[162] The desire for feminine balance is highlighted by Ani, the earth goddess, and the extended discussion of "Nneka" ("Mother is supreme") in chapter fourteen.[163] The perseverance and love from Okonkwo's second wife Ekwefi towards Ezinma, despite her many miscarriages, is seen as a tribute to Igbo womanhood, which is typically defined by motherhood.[164] Okonkwo's defeat is seen by Mezu and literature scholar Nahem Yousaf as a vindication of the need for a balancing feminine ethos.[161][165] Bestman argued that Okonkwo's failures are tied to his contempt for and fear of women and his inability to form quality personal relationships with the women in his life.[160] Achebe expressed frustration at frequently being misunderstood on this point, saying that "I want to sort of scream that Things Fall Apart is on the side of women [...] And that Okonkwo is paying the penalty for his treatment of women; that all his problems, all the things he did wrong, can be seen as offenses against the feminine."[166] On this, Bestman states that Okonkwo's violent and vehement anti-women position is the exception, not the norm, within his community of Umuofia and the wider Igbo society.[167]
Influence and legacy
Overview
It is a tag of either literary ignorance or 'momentary exuberance' [...] Those who seriously believe or promote this must be asked: have you the sheerest acquaintance with the literature of other African nations, in both indigenous and adopted colonial languages? [...] Education is lacking in most of those who pontificate.
Chinua Achebe on being called the "father of African literature"[168]
Achebe is regarded as the most dominant and influential writer of modern African literature,[169][170] and has been called the "father of African literature",[170][171] the "founding father of African literature",[124] and the "'father of the African novel in English".[172][e] Achebe rejected such descriptions as patronising and eurocentric, which were qualities his work sought to critique in the first place. He countered white descriptions of himself as such by claiming that "education is lacking in most of those who pontificate".[174][175] Things Fall Apart has been described as the most important book in modern African literature[176] and was described as his masterpiece by critic Dwight Garner.[177] Selling over 20 million copies worldwide, it has been translated into 57 languages,[178] making Achebe the most translated, studied, and read African author.[170][179] His legacy as a writer is particularly unique in regard to its substantial impact on not only African literature but Western literature as well.[180][181]
At the ceremony for his honorary degree from the University of Kent, professor Robert Gibson said that the Nigerian writer "is now revered as Master by the younger generation of African writers and it is to him they regularly turn for counsel and inspiration."[182] In November 2015 the theme of the Pan African Writers' Association's 22nd International African Writers' Day and three-day conference was "Celebrating the Life and Works of Chinua Achebe: The Coming of Age of African Literature?"[183][184] The scholar Simon Gikandi, recalling the schooling of himself and his classmates in Kenya, said Things Fall Apart "changed the lives of many of us".[185] The anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela remarked that "There was a writer named Chinua Achebe [...] in whose company the prison walls fell down".[185]
Outside of Africa, Achebe's impact resonates strongly in literary circles. Novelist Margaret Atwood called him "a magical writer—one of the greatest of the twentieth century". Poet Maya Angelou lauded Things Fall Apart as a book wherein "all readers meet their brothers, sisters, parents and friends and themselves along Nigerian roads".[186] Nobel laureate Toni Morrison noted that Achebe's work inspired her to become a writer and "sparked her love affair with African literature".[18]
Awards and honours
Achebe received over 30 honorary degrees from universities in Nigeria, Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States, including
Although he accepted numerous honours from the Nigerian government, Achebe refused its
Forty-three years ago, at the first anniversary of Nigeria's independence I was given the first Nigerian National Trophy for Literature. In 1979, I received two further honours—the Nigerian National Order of Merit and the Order of the Federal Republic—and in 1999 the first National Creativity Award. I accepted all these honours fully aware that Nigeria was not perfect; but I had a strong belief that we would outgrow our shortcomings under leaders committed to uniting our diverse peoples. Nigeria's condition today under your [Olusegun Obasanjo's] watch is, however, too dangerous for silence. I must register my disappointment and protest by declining to accept the high honour awarded me in the 2004 Honours List.[189]
In 2011, Achebe was again offered the Commander of the Federal Republic, but he declined it asserting "the reasons for rejecting the offer when it was first made have not been addressed let alone solved. It is inappropriate to offer it again to me".[189] Then-President Goodluck Jonathan claimed that Achebe's refusal was regrettable and may have been influenced by misinformation, but said he still held him in high regard.[189]
Despite his international renown, Achebe never received the
Memorials and recognition
Writings
- Achebe, Chinua (1958). Astor-Honor, 1959.
- —— (1960). No Longer at Ease. London: Heinemann. New York: Obolensky, 1961.
- —— (1964). Arrow of God. London: Heinemann. New York: John Day, 1967.
- —— (1966). A Man of the People. London: Heinemann. New York: John Day, 1966.
- —— (1987). Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1987
- Achebe, Chinua (1951). "In a Village Church".[201]
- —— (1952a). "The Old Order in Conflict with the New". University Herald. (Revised as Achebe 1962b and Achebe 1972b)
- —— (1953). "Dead Men's Path". (Republished in Achebe 1962a[202])
- —— (1960). "Chike's School Days". Rotarian. 96 (4): 19–20.
- —— (1962a). The Sacrificial Egg and Other Stories. Onitsha: Etudo Ltd.
- —— (1962b). "Beginning of the End". The Sacrificial Egg and Other Stories. (A revision of Achebe 1952a; revised in Achebe 1972b)
- —— (1965). The Voter.
- —— (1971). "Civil Peace". Okike. 2.[203]
- —— (1972). "Sugar Baby". Okike. 3: 8–16.
- —— (1972a). Girls at War and Other Stories. London: Heinemann. Garden City: Doubleday, 1973.
- —— (1972b). "Marriage Is a Private Affair". Girls at War and Other Stories.[204] (A revision of Achebe 1962b and Achebe 1972b)[205]
- —— (1972c). "Vengeful Creditor". Girls at War and Other Stories.
- ——; Innes, C. L., eds. (1985). African Short Stories: Twenty Stories from Across the Continent. Portsmouth: Heinemann.[203]
- ——; Innes, C. L., eds. (1992). The Heineman Book of Contemporary African Short Stories. Portsmouth: Heinemann.[206]
- Achebe, Chinua (1951–1952). "There was a Young Man in Our Hall". University Herald. 4 (3): 19.
- —— (1971). Beware Soul Brother and Other Poems. Enugu: Nwankwo-Ifejika. London: Heinemann, 1972.
- —— (1973). Christmas in Biafra and Other Poems. Garden City: Doubleday.
- —— (1973). "Flying". Okike. 4: 47–48.
- —— (1974). "The Old Man and the Census". Okike. 6: 41–42.
- ——; Okafor, Dubem, eds. (1978). Don't Let Him Die: An Anthology of Memorial Poems for Christopher Okigbo. Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.
- ——; Lyons, Robert (1998). Another Africa. New York: Anchor Books.
- —— (2004). Collected Poems. London: Penguin Books.
Essays, criticism and articles[209]
- Achebe, Chinua (21 February 1951). "Philosophy". The Bug: 5.
- —— (1951). "An Argument Against the Existence of Faculties". University Herald. 4 (1): 12–13.
- —— (1951–1952). "Editorial". University Herald. 4 (3): 5.
- —— (1952). "Editorial". University Herald. 5 (1): 5.
- —— (29 November 1952). "Mr. Okafor Versus Arts Students". The Bug: 3.
- —— (29 November 1952). "Hiawatha". The Bug: 3.
- —— (January 1958). "Eminent Nigerians of the 19th Century". Radio Times. p. 3.
- —— (January 1959). "Listening in the East". Radio Times. p. 17.
- —— (6 May 1961). "Two West African Library Journals". The Service. p. 15.
- —— (23–29 July 1961). "Amos Tutuola". Radio Times. p. 2.
- —— (7 July 1962). "Writers' Conference: A Milestone in Africa's Profress". Daily Times. p. 7.
- —— (15 July 1962). "Conference of African Writers". Radio Times. p. 6.
- —— (1962). "Introduction" to King, Delphine (1962). Dreams of Twilight: A Book of Poems. Apapa: Nigerian National Press. p. 5.
- —— (December 1962). "Review of Christopher Okigbo's Heavensgate". Spear: 41.
- —— (January 1963). "Review of Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo's Twenty-Four Poems". Spear: 41.
- —— (June 1963). "A Look at West African Writing". Spear: 26.
- —— (1963). "Voice of Nigeria–How it Began". Voice of Nigeria. 1 (1): 5–6.
- —— (December 1963). "Are We Men of Two Worlds?". Spear: 13.
- —— (1963). "On Janheinz Jahn and Ezekiel Mphahlele". Transition. 8: 9. JSTOR 2934524.
- —— (1964). "The Role of the Writer in a New Nation". Nigerian Libraries. 1 (3): 113–119. Nigeria Magazine. 81: 157–160.
- —— (1964). "Foreword". In Whiteley, W. H. (ed.). A Selection of African Prose. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. vii–x.
- —— (1965). "English and the African Writer". JSTOR 2934835.
- —— (1966). "The Black Writer's Burden". Présence Africaine. 31 (59): 135–140.
- —— (1971). "Editorial". Nsukkascope. 1: 1–4.
- —— (1971). "Editorial". Nsukkascope. 2: 1–5.
- —— (1971). "Editorial". Nsukkascope. 3: 4–5.
- —— (1962). "Introduction" to Awoonor, Kofi. This Earth, My Brother... Garden City: Doubleday. pp. vii–xii.
- —— (1962). "Introduction" to Kgositsile, Keorapetse (1975). Places and Bloodstains [Notes for Ipeleng]. Oakland: Achebe Publications. p. 7.
- —— (1975). "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness". The Chancellor's Lecture Series. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Amherst: 31–43. also in Hopes and Impediments
- —— (1975). Morning Yet on Creation Day: Essays. London: Heinemann.[210]
- —— (1983). The Trouble With Nigeria. Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.[210] London: Heinemann, 1984.
- —— (1988). Hopes and Impediments: Selected Essays. London: Heinemann.[210]
- —— (2000). Home and Exile. New York: Oxford University Press.[210]
- —— (2009). The Education of a British-Protected Child. London: Penguin Classics.
- —— (2012). There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra. London: Penguin Classics.
- —— (2018). Africa's Tarnished Name. London: Penguin Classics.
- Achebe, Chinua (1966). Chike and the River. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- ——; Iroaganachi, John (1972). How the Leopard Got His Claws. Enugu: Nwamife. New York: Third World Press, 1973.
- —— (1977). The Drum. Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.[85]
- —— (1977). The Flute. Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.[211]
References
Notes
- ^ Chinua's unabbreviated name, Chinụalụmọgụ ("God is fighting on my behalf") was a prayer for divine protection and stability.[3]
- ^ Achebe later included a scene based on this incident in his debut novel Things Fall Apart.[15][A 1]
- ^ During the war, relations between writers in Nigeria and Biafra were strained. Achebe and John Pepper Clark had a tense confrontation in London over their respective support for opposing sides of the conflict. Achebe demanded that the publisher withdraw the dedication of A Man of the People he had given to Clark. Years later, their friendship healed and the dedication was restored.[90]
- ^ His comments on the emerging school of Native American literature was largely based on lectures he had given at Harvard University in 1998.[54]
- ^ Literature scholar Leonard A. Podis noted that Achebe's "stature as the patriarch of modern African literature" was reinforced upon his death, as many obituaries described him in such a way.[173]
Citations
Primary
- This list identifies each item's location in Achebe's writings.
- ^ Achebe 1994, pp. 146–147
- ^ Achebe 1994, p. 4
- ^ Achebe 1989, p. 8
- ^ Achebe 1989, pp. 1–20
- ^ Achebe 1989, p. 7
- ^ Achebe 1989, p. x
- ^ Achebe 1994, p. 38
- ^ Achebe 1965, pp. 77–78
Secondary
- ^ a b Ekweremadu 2013.
- ^ a b Innes 1990, p. 4.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 7.
- ^ Hawley & Nelson 2001, p. 3.
- ^ a b c Lynn 2017, p. 12.
- ^ Britannica 2021.
- ^ a b Msiska 2012, § para. 1.
- ^ Gikandi 2012, "The Colonial Encounter".
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 6.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 8, 116.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 10–11.
- ^ Sallah 2003, p. 31.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 11.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 14.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 12.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 34–36.
- ^ Msiska 2012, § para. 3.
- ^ a b The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 2001, pp. 28–29.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 44.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 37.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 38.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. 57.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 39.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 40.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 46.
- ^ Purcell 2013, pp. 83–84.
- ^ Purcell 2013, pp. 84–85.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 49.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 43.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 50.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 50–52.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 53.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 55.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 56.
- ^ Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 57.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 58.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 62.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 60.
- ^ Garner 2009.
- ^ a b c d Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 63.
- ^ Haglund 2013.
- ^ Mezu 2006, p. 246.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 65.
- ^ Hill, Alan (1991). Quoted in Petersen & Rutherford 1991, reprinted in Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 65
- ^ Oliver 2013.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 65–66.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 68.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 69.
- ^ a b c Msiska 2012, § para. 6.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 67–68.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 77.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 77–78.
- ^ a b c d e Aguiar 2006.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 79.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 80.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 81.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 83.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 97.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 98.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 87–88.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 89.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 89–90.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 90–92.
- ^ Umeh 2004, p. 397.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 94.
- ^ Nicholls 2011.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 85.
- ^ a b c Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 105.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 112.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 70.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 75.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 99.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 187.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 98–99.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 106.
- ^ Msiska 2012, § para. 7.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 109.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 115.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 117.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 125.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 154.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. 33.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 124–129.
- ^ a b Booker 2003, p. 74.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 129.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 149.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 129–133.
- ^ Gikandi 2012, "The Crisis of Independence".
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 134.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 137.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 138–140.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 146.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 150.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 152.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 158–160.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 155.
- ^ Booker 2003, pp. 199–201.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. 187.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 162.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 225.
- ^ Bula, Andrew (1 September 2021). "Literary Musings and Critical Mediations: Interview with Rev. Fr Professor Amechi N. Akwanya" (PDF). Journal of Practical Studies in Education, 2(5), 26-31. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 166.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 174.
- ^ a b Gikandi 2012, "Culture and Decolonization".
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 191.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 259.
- ^ Tredell 2000, p. 71.
- ^ Siegel 2009.
- ^ a b Msiska 2012, § para. 9.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 197.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 211.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 228.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 229.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 231–232.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 235–249.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 251.
- ^ Johnson 1988.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 253.
- ^ The Booker Prize Foundation.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 278–279.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 280.
- ^ Msiska 2012, § para. 14.
- ^ a b c d e Msiska 2012, § para. 15.
- ^ Gurria-Quintana 2005.
- ^ a b c The New York Times 2007.
- ^ Nickel 2009.
- ^ a b CBC News 2010.
- ^ Tobar 2013.
- ^ a b Akinbajo 2013.
- ^ a b Kandell 2013.
- ^ BBC 2013a.
- ^ BBC 2013b.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 66.
- ^ a b Gera 2001, pp. 24–25.
- ^ a b Gera 2001, p. 32.
- ^ Feuser 2001, p. 65.
- ^ Ogede 2001.
- ^ Ogbaa 1999, p. 192.
- ^ Ogbaa 1999, p. 193.
- ^ Mezu 2006, p. 23.
- ^ Azohu 1996, p. 413.
- ^ Azohu 1996, pp. 415–419.
- ^ Yousaf 2003, p. 37.
- ^ Yousaf 2003, p. 38.
- ^ Mezu 2006, pp. 164–207.
- ^ Emenyonu 1991, p. 84.
- ^ Gera 2001, p. 71.
- ^ Nnolim 1996, p. 173.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 78.
- ^ Mezu 2006, pp. 104–118.
- ^ Niven 1991, pp. 46–47.
- ^ Lindfors 1982, pp. 101–102.
- ^ Mezu 2006, p. 132.
- ^ Mezu 2006, p. 229.
- ^ Mezu 2006, p. 24.
- ^ Udumukwu 2012, p. 202.
- ^ Mezu 2006, pp. 27–28.
- ^ Bestman 2012, p. 156.
- ^ a b Bestman 2012, p. 167.
- ^ a b Yousaf 2003, p. 44.
- ^ Bicknell 1996, p. 266.
- ^ Bicknell 1996, pp. 266–267.
- ^ Bestman 2012, p. 162.
- ^ Mezu 2006, p. 214.
- ^ Thompson 2008.
- ^ Bestman 2012, p. 160.
- ^ Inyang 2013.
- ^ Gikandi 2012, "Introduction".
- ^ a b c Krishnan 2017, "Introduction".
- ^ Mwangi 2014, "Introduction".
- ^ Innes 1990, p. 19.
- ^ Podis 2019, pp. 142–143.
- ^ a b c Flood 2013.
- ^ Abrams 2013.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. xvii.
- ^ Garner 2013.
- ^ Penguin Random House.
- ^ Ogbaa 1999, p. xv.
- ^ Innes 1990, p. 1.
- ^ Lynn 2017, p. 1.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 224.
- ^ Guardian 2015.
- ^ Osagie 2015.
- ^ a b Lynn 2017, p. 2.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 283.
- ^ a b Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, p. 285.
- ^ a b Lynn 2017, p. 18.
- ^ a b c d e Flood 2011.
- ^ American Academy of Arts and Letters.
- ^ Asoya 2021.
- ^ Deutsche Welle 2002.
- ^ United Nations Population Fund 1999.
- ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto 1997, pp. 263–264.
- ^ O'Sullivan 2011.
- ^ David 2016.
- ^ Njoku 2019.
- ^ Camer.be 2020.
- ^ a b c Evalds 1977, p. 83.
- ^ a b c Lindfors 1978, p. 103.
- ^ Purcell 2020, p. 108.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. 233.
- ^ a b Booker 2003, p. 11.
- ^ Purcell 2013, p. 81.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. 207.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. 101.
- ^ Evalds 1977, p. 84.
- ^ Lindfors 1978, p. 104.
- ^ Lindfors 1978, pp. 104–105.
- ^ a b c d Booker 2003, p. 289.
- ^ Booker 2003, p. 86.
Bibliography
Primary
- Achebe, Chinua (1965). "English and the African Writer". JSTOR 2934835.
- —— (1989). ISBN 978-0-385-24730-6.
- —— (1994). Things Fall Apart. New York: ISBN 978-0-385-47454-2.
Secondary
Books and chapters
- Azohu, Virginia (1996). "Culture and the Frontiers of Language". In Ihekweazu, Edith (ed.). Eagle on Iroko: Selected Papers from the Chinua Achebe International Symposium, 1990. Ibadan: ISBN 978-978-129-379-5.
- Bestman, A. M. (2012). "Reading Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart through the Womanist lens: The imperative of the female principle". In Anyadike, C.; Ayoola, K. A. (eds.). Blazing the Path: Fifty Years of Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) PLC. pp. 155–173.
- Bicknell, Catherine (1996). "Achebe's Women: Mothers, Priestesses, And Young Urban Professionals". In Ihekweazu, Edith (ed.). Eagle on Iroko: Selected Papers from the Chinua Achebe International Symposium, 1990. Ibadan: ISBN 978-978-129-379-5.
- Booker, M. Keith (2003). The Chinua Achebe Encyclopedia. Foreword by ISBN 978-3-8255-0021-4. Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-435-08060-0.
- Ezenwa-Ohaeto (1997). Chinua Achebe: A Biography. Bloomington: ISBN 978-0-253-33342-1. Archivedfrom the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- Feuser, Willfried F. (2001). "Nothing Puzzles God!": Chinua Achebe's Civil War Stories". In Ehling, Holger G.; Holste-von Mutius, Claus-Peter (eds.). No Condition Is Permanent: Nigerian Writing and the Struggle for Democracy. Leiden: ISBN 978-90-420-1496-1. Archivedfrom the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- Gera, Anjali (2001). Three Great African Novelists. New Delhi: Creative Books. ISBN 978-81-86318-79-9.
- Hawley, John C.; Nelson, Emmanuel S., eds. (2001). Encyclopaedia of Postcolonial Studies. Westport: ISBN 978-0-313-31192-5.
- Innes, Catherine Lynette (1990). Chinua Achebe. Cambridge: OCLC 917000705.
- Lindfors, Bernth (1982). Early Nigerian Literature. New York: Holmes & Meier Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-8419-0740-9.
- Lynn, Thomas Jay (2017). Chinua Achebe and the Politics of Narration: Envisioning Language. London: ISBN 978-3-319-51330-0.
- Mezu, Rose Ure (2006). Chinua Achebe: The Man and His Works. London: Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905068-21-0.
- Niven, Alistair (1991). "Chinua Achebe and the Possibility of Modern Tragedy". In Petersen, Kirsten Holst; Rutherford, Anna (eds.). Chinua Achebe: A Celebration. Oxford: Dangaroo Press. ISBN 978-0-435-08060-0.
- Nnolim, Charles (1996). "The Artist in Search of The Right Leadership: Achebe As A Social Critic". In Ihekweazu, Edith (ed.). Eagle on Iroko: Selected Papers from the Chinua Achebe International Symposium, 1990. Ibadan: ISBN 978-978-129-379-5.
- Ogbaa, Kalu (1999). Understanding Things Fall Apart. Westport: ISBN 978-0-313-30294-7.
- Petersen, Kirsten Holst; Rutherford, Anna, eds. (1991). Chinua Achebe: A Celebration. Portsmouth: ISBN 978-0-435-08060-0.
- ISBN 978-1-59221-031-2.
- Tredell, Nicolas (2000). Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness. New York: ISBN 978-0-231-11923-8.
- Udumukwu, Onyemaechi (2012). "Violence against Achebe's women: Onkonkwo and 'The Gun that Never Shot'". In Chukwuma, Helen (ed.). Achebe's Women: Imagism and Power. Trenton: Africa World Press. pp. 201–221. ISBN 978-1-59221-869-1.
- Umeh, Marie (2004). "Chinua Achebe's Legacy to His Daughter(s): Implications for the 21st Century Marie". In ISBN 978-0-86543-876-7.
- Yousaf, Nahem (2003). Chinua Achebe. Tavistock: Northcote House in Association with the British Council. ISBN 978-0-7463-0885-1.
Journal and encyclopedia articles
- Aguiar, Marian (2006) [2005]. "Achebe, Chinua". Oxford African American Studies Center. Oxford: ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1. Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- Evalds, Victoria K. (September 1977). "Book Review Section: Chinua Achebe: Bio-Bibliography and Recent Criticism, 1970–75". A Current Bibliography on African Affairs. 10 (1): 67–87. S2CID 161675210.
- ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1. Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- Krishnan, Madhu (2017). "Chinua Achebe". from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.(subscription required)
- Lindfors, Bernth (Spring 1978). "A Checklist of Works by and About Chinua Achebe". Obsidian. 4 (1). Board of Trustees of JSTOR 44491317.
- ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1. Archivedfrom the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- Mwangi, Evan (2014). "Chinua Achebe". from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.(subscription required)
- from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- Podis, Leonard A. (2019). "Literary Lions: Chinua Achebe and Ongoing Dialogues in Modern African Literature". Research in African Literatures. 50 (4) (Winter ed.): 142–164. S2CID 226622011.
- Purcell, William F. (Spring 2013). "Converting Culture: Reading Chinua Achebe's "Marriage Is a Private Affair" in Light of Bernard Lonergan's Theology of Conversion". Religion & Literature. 45 (1). JSTOR 24397810.
- Purcell, William F. (12 June 2020). ""A crucial part of the social and cultural fabric": Christianity and Chinua Achebe's "In a Village Church"". S2CID 221061644.
- "Chinua Achebe". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago. 17 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "Chinua Achebe of Bard College". JSTOR 2678893.
News and online
- Abrams, Dennis (21 May 2013). "Was Chinua Achebe the 'Father of African Literature?'". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- Akinbajo, Idris (22 March 2013). "Prof Chinua Achebe is dead". Premium Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Asoya, Sylvester (30 May 2021). "Chinua Achebe... A writer's writer". TheNEWS magazine. Archivedfrom the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- "Achebe Wins Booker Prize for Fiction". The New York Times. Associated Press. 13 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- "Chinua Achebe nabs $300,000 Gish prize". CBC News. Associated Press. 25 September 2010. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- David, Miriam (1 December 2016). "Society of Young Nigerian Writers Celebrate Achebe". Creative Writing News. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- Ekweremadu, Sen Ike (23 May 2013). "Chinualumogu Achebe: A tribute to Ugonabo". Vanguard. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- Flood, Alison (14 November 2011). "Chinua Achebe refuses Nigerian national honour". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Flood, Alison (20 May 2013). "Calls for Chinua Achebe Nobel prize 'obscene', says Wole Soyinka". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Garner, Dwight (16 December 2009). "Chinua Achebe's Encounters With Many Hearts of Darkness". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- Garner, Dwight (22 March 2013). "Bearing Witness, With Words". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Gurria-Quintana, Angel (28 October 2005). "Myth understood". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- Haglund, David (22 March 2013). "The Amazing Story Behind Things Fall Apart". Slate Magazine. Archivedfrom the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- Inyang, Ifreke (18 May 2013). "Calling Achebe the father of African literature is literary ignorance or momentary exuberance – Soyinka". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 6 April 2023.</ref>
- Johnson, Charles (7 February 1988). "'Anthills of Savannah' by Chinua Achebe". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- Kandell, Jonathan (22 March 2013). "Chinua Achebe, African Literary Titan, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Nicholls, Brendon (28 January 2011) [December 2011]. "Chinua Achebe at Leeds: When the Great Share the Good". Leeds African Studies Bulletin. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Nickel, Mark (15 September 2009). "Famed African Writer Chinua Achebe Joins the Brown Faculty". Brown University. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- Njoku, Lawrence (22 December 2019). "Six years after, Achebe gets a memorial bust at UNN". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- Oliver, Marie Elizabeth (22 March 2013). "Humble beginnings of Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- Osagie, Evelyn (25 November 2015). "Echoes of Achebe's works at writers' show". The Nation. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Siegel, Robert (15 October 2009). "Chinua Achebe: 'Heart Of Darkness' Is Inappropriate". NPR. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- Thompson, Bob (9 March 2008). "Things Fall Into Place". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- Tobar, Héctor (22 March 2013). "The world mourns author Chinua Achebe". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- O'Sullivan, Darren (9 August 2011). "Oprah Magazine Praises New Memoir from Kenyan Writer and Bard College Achebe Center Director Binyavanga Wainaina". Bard College. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- "Current Members". American Academy of Arts and Letters. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- "Chinua Achebe: Obituary of Nigeria's renowned author". BBC News. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- "Chinua Achebe: Nigeria holds funeral for author". BBC News. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- "Moon Tiger". The Booker Prize Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- "Les Lauréats Dévoilés Dans Un Communiqué Officiel Des Organisateurs" [The Winners Announced in an Official Press Release From the Organizers]. Camer.be (in French). 28 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- "Nigerian Writer Wins German Peace Prize". Deutsche Welle. 13 October 2002. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- "About us". Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
- "Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: About Things Fall Apart". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- "Chinua Achebe Named Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Population Fund". United Nations Population Fund. 7 January 1999. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- "Pan African Writers' Association honours Achebe in Accra, Ghana". The Guardian. 14 October 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
Further reading
Lindfors (1978, p. 105) states that "Achebe is discussed in nearly every book and survey article written on African literature in English". For extensive bibliographies, see Lindfors (1978, pp. 105–117), Mwangi (2014) and Krishnan (2017).
- Agetua, John (ed.) (1977). Critics on Chinua Achebe, 1970–76. Benin City, Nigeria: Bendel Newspapers Corp.
- Clarke, Nana Ayebia, and James Currey (2014), Chinua Achebe: Tributes & Reflections. Banbury, Oxfordshire: Ayebia Clarke Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9569307-6-7.
- Corley, Í. (2009). "Conjecture, hypermasculinity, and disavowal in Things Fall Apart". Interventions, 11(2), 203–211.
- Döring, Tobias (1996). Chinua Achebe und Joyce Cary. Ein postkoloniales Rewriting englischer Afrika-Fiktionen. Pfaffenweiler, Germany: Centaurus. ISBN 978-0-7618-1721-5.
- Egar, Emmanuel Edame (2000). The Rhetorical Implications of Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart". Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-1721-5.
- Ekwe-Ekwe, Herbert (2001). African Literature in Defence of History: An Essay on Chinua Achebe. Dakar: African Renaissance. ISBN 978-1-903625-10-1.
- Gikandi, Simon (1991). Reading Chinua Achebe: Language and Ideology in Fiction. London: James Currey. ISBN 978-0-85255-527-9.
- Innes, C. L., and Bernth Lindfors (eds) (1978). Critical Perspectives on Chinua Achebe. Washington: Three Continents Press. ISBN 978-0-914478-45-4.
- Islam, Md. Manirul. (2019). Oppression and Humiliation: A Study of the Selected Works of Mulk Raj Anand, Arundhati Roy and Chinua Achebe. New Delhi: Authorspress. ISBN 978-93-89615-62-3.
- Jaya Lakshmi, Rao V. (2003). Culture and Anarchy in the Novels of Chinua Achebe. Bareilly: Prakash Book Depot.
- Killam, G. D. (1977). The Writings of Chinua Achebe. London: Heinemann Educational Books. ISBN 978-0-435-91665-7.
- Naydenova, Natalia, Salihou Camara (2013). Littérature africaine et identité: un hommage à Chinua Achebe. Paris: Editions L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-343-01253-7.
- Njoku, Benedict Chiaka (1984). The Four Novels of Chinua Achebe: A Critical Study. New York: P. Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-0154-6.
- Ochiagha, Terri (2015). Achebe and Friends at Umuahia: The Making of a Literary Elite. ISBN 978-1-84701-109-1
- Ogede, Ode (2001). Achebe and the Politics of Representation: Form Against Itself, From Colonial Conquest and Occupation to Post-Independence Disillusionment. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press. ISBN 978-0-86543-774-6.
- Ojinmah, Umelo (1991). Chinua Achebe: New Perspectives. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited. ISBN 978-978-2461-16-2.
- Okpewho, Isidore (ed.) (2003). Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart": A Casebook. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-514763-6.
- Shamim, Amna (2013). Colonial/Postcolonial Paradigms in Chinua Achebe's Novels (TFA & AOG). Saarbrücken: Lambert Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-3-659-35098-6.
- Yankson, Kofi E. (1990). Chinua Achebe's Novels: A Sociolinguistic Perspective. Uruowulu-Obosi, Nigeria: Pacific Publishers. ISBN 978-978-2347-79-4.
External links
- Chinua Achebe at the Poetry Foundation
- Works by or about Chinua Achebe at Internet Archive
- Chinua Achebe reads the first two chapters of Things Fall Apart at PEN American Center Event: Faith & Reason: Writers Speak, 2006
- Ed Pilkington, "A long way from home". Interview in The Guardian, 10 July 2007
- "Chinua Achebe, The Art of Fiction No. 139". Interview by Jerome Brooks in The Paris Review, 1994
- The Chinua Achebe Center Archived 7 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine at Bard College
- Appearances on C-SPAN