Author is mostly known for
- Things Fall Apart (1958), which is the most widely read book in modern African literature
Others publications
- Novels
- Things Fall Apart (1958)
- No Longer at Ease (1960)
- Arrow of God (1964)
- A Man of the People (1966)
- Anthills of the Savannah (1987)
- Short stories
- Marriage Is A Private Affair (1952)
- Dead Men’s Path (1953)
- The Sacrificial Egg and Other Stories (1953)
- Civil Peace (1971)
- Girls at War and Other Stories (including “Vengeful Creditor”) (1973)
- African Short Stories (editor, with C.L. Innes) (1985)
- The Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories (editor, with C. L. Innes) (1992)
- The Voter
- Poetry
- Beware, Soul-Brother, and Other Poems (1971) (published in the US as Christmas at Biafra, and Other Poems, 1973)
- Don’t Let Him Die: An Anthology of Memorial Poems for Christopher Okigbo (editor, with Dubem Okafor) (1978)
- Another Africa (1998)
- Collected Poems Carcanet Press (2005)
- Refugee Mother And Child
- Vultures
- Essays, criticism, non-fiction and political commentary
- The Novelist as Teacher (1965) – also in Hopes and Impediments
- An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1975) – also in Hopes and Impediments
- Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975)
- The Trouble With Nigeria (1984)
- Hopes and Impediments (1988)
- Home and Exile (2000)
- The Education of a British-Protected Child (6 October 2009)
- There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra (11 October 2012)
Children’s books
- Chike and the River (1966)
- How the Leopard Got His Claws (with John Iroaganachi) (1972)
- The Flute (1975)
- The Drum (1978)
Sources: Wikipedia
Prizes/Awards
- Margaret Wrong Memorial Prize (1959)
- Nigerian National Trophy for literature (1960)
- Commonwealth Poetry Prize (1972 et 1979)
- Nigerian National Merit Award (1979)
- Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (2002)
- International Man Booker prize(2007)
Author whereabouts
Chinua Achebe died on March 21st, 2013.
Excerpt
Achebe writes about the political and social problems facing newly independent African states.
Anthills of the Savannah transports the reader to the West African country of Kangan, a fictional Nigeria, in the wake of a revolutionary coup that overthrew a dictator. Achebe discusses the strict balance of power that must be maintained in order to sustain a democracy, and the fine the line that is tread between leader and dictator.
Key themes/Topics
- Politics in Africa
- Dictatorship versus democracy
- The role of the student movement in African politics
- The relationship between politics and military in Africa
I found strange
Nothing. The writing was different but I can’t really pinpoint what was different exactly.
I found brilliant
Honestly, everything! what a great story. one of my best book ever.
What to expect
Well, short answer is a lot. The reader should expect to feel – not in any specific order – excitement, fear, dismay, sadness, happiness, anxiety and at one point you will have to put on your Alfred Hitchcock hat to solve mysteries. Like I said, great book, must read and I recommend.
I need sadly only one book up to now “Things Fall Apart”. I need more and more to read him. The old man is still looking good. Any idea where I can buy this book from Africa (Cameroon based)?
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I read this book long ago at Uni and it made a lasting impression on me. 🙂
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