Literary Writer // Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe

In 2011, writer Chinua Achebe refused $1 million.

From the famous rapper 50 Cent who asked to name an upcoming movie after the writer’s novel (Things Fall Apart).

Chinua Achebe (November 16, 1930 - March 21, 2013) was a Nigerian Igbo novelist, the first prominent novelist from the Black Continent to write in English. His writings address the tragic effects of British imperialism on African societies. Achebe analyzed the stylistic relationships between African and English literature. His works captured the interests of literary criticism. His novel Things Fall Apart (or When It All Falls Apart) (1958) describes the collapse of traditional tribal life in the face of the British colonial presence in Nigeria; It also shows superiority in language. He has other books, including: God's Arrow (1964);  Son of the People (1966 AD); Savannah Dunes (1987 AD). Achebe also published short stories and children's books, and was a noted publisher and critic. Achebe was born in Ogidi, eastern Nigeria, and was educated at Government College, Umuahia and University College, Ibadan, and also worked in radio and the civil service. He recently taught at Nigerian universities and universities in the United States of America.

Chinua Achebe

(English: Chinua Achebe).  

Chinua Achebe - Buffalo 25Sep2008 

Chino Achebe, 2008

Personal Information

Birth Name

(In Igbo): Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Ach

Birth

November 16, 1930

Ogidi, Nigeria

Death

March 21, 2013 (82 years old)

Boston, United States

Cause of death

illness

Residence

Kogi State 

Nationality

Nigeria

Member of the

The Modern Language Association, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Society of Literature  

health problem

Paraplegia  

practical life

Alma mater

London university  

Occupation

Novelist

Languages

English.

Employee in

Brown University

Notable works

Things fall apart

Awards

Man Booker International Prize (2007)

German Peace Prize for Book Trade (2002)

St. Louis Literary Award (1999)

Nonino International Award (1994

Lotus Prize for Literature (1975)

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature  

Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

His life:

Chinua Achebe's parents, Isa Okavu Achebe and Janet Anenchi Logbanam, converted to join the Protestant Church Missionary Society of Nigeria, but Achebe Sr. continued to respect the religious rituals of his ancestors, even though he stopped practicing them with his conversion to the new religion. Achebe's full name, Chinolmujo, is a prayer for divine protection and stability, which literally means (“May the Lord fight for me”).] The Achebe family had five other children who were given names that carry religious connotations related to the new Christian religion they embraced, and they are: Frank Okofua  John Chukwomeka Ivanechku, Augustine Nduka and Grace Nonka.

His Upbringing:

Albert Chinolmojo was born on November 16, 1930 in the Igbo village of Ogidi. The parents found themselves at the crossroads between the local culture and customs of the Igbo nation and the influence of Christianity that spread with the arrival of missionary missions to Nigeria, which cast a shadow on the children, especially Chenolmujo, and the family moved to the father’s birthplace, Isa Achebe, Ogidi.

Storytelling is the mainstay of the traditional and local customs of the Igbo people, and is an integral part of the formation of society itself.  Achebe's mother and sister, Zenobia Azuma, told him many Igbo novels during his childhood, which he frequently requested. His father's short story collections were in addition to the calendars hanging on the walls of their house and various books, including prose quotes such as those taken from the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1590 AD) by William Shakespeare, as well as the Igbo version of the book "A Pilgrim's Journey" (1678) by John  Bunyan was an important and effective factor in Achebe's educational career. As a child, Achebe always longed for the traditional celebrations of his village, such as the costume ceremonies, which he later addressed in his novels and stories. #Africa 

#Nigeria