Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist who lived through times of extreme turmoil, including a military coup, civil war, and the genocide of the Igbo community. He was also greatly influenced by the impact of British colonialism.
His achievements include, but are not limited to, the authorship of essays, novels, short stories, children's literature, and poetry. He was tenured at three Universities, co-founded an academic journal, and was the director of two publishing houses. He remains the most translated African writer of all time.
Interesting Facts about Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe was given the name Albert Chinualumogu at birth. He was born in the Igbo community of Ogidi, in eastern Nigeria, approximately four decades after the first missionaries had arrived there. His parents were Christian converts. His formal education began at a local missionary school.
At fourteen, he attended the prestigious Government College at Umuahia, and in 1948 he won a scholarship place at the University of Ibadan to study medicine. In his second year, he changed his subject of study to a combination of English literature, religious studies, and history. This choice would influence his future literary works, which showcase his firm grasp of both history and religious practices.
Achebe served as an ambassador for Biafra in 1967 when it sought to become a state independent of Nigeria. He later worked as a tenured professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1972), the University of Connecticut (1972-1976, 1987-1988), and the University of Nigeria (1976-1981). Achebe also worked as the director of two publishing houses in Nigeria, Nwankwo-Ifejika Ltd and Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.
Chinua Achebe: Obituary
Having made major contributions to literature and earned the accolade 'father of African literature', Achebe died aged 82 on 21 March 2013.
Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart (1958)
The following novels are known as the African Trilogy: Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God, and No Longer at Ease. The books offer an insight into the impact of colonialism on Igbo communities in Nigeria. The first in the trilogy offers a view into the social, cultural, and spiritual lives of those communities prior to colonisation.
Each novel is based - at least in part - in a rural Igbo community. Indeed, the main characters in Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease are grandfather and grandson. These characters share a community and a homeland.
The novels deal with a wide range of highly emotive topics, such as miscarriage, domestic violence, grief, love, polygamy, infanticide, and revenge killings. Despite this, the narrative voice holds itself slightly aloof, allowing for a completely non-judgmental insight into practices of the past, including the religiously motivated infanticide which can be the result of multiple pregnancies.
It is easy to draw parallels between Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease. In both novels, by placing one individual and his personal relationships under a microscope, Chinua Achebe grants his reader an insight into issues that affect the wider Igbo society.
"There is no story that is not true ...The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others." - Things Fall Apart.
| A brief overview. | Important themes. | Key settings. |
Things Fall Apart | Follows the life of Okonkwo, his family, and community. As the novel progresses, we see how European missionaries disrupt their way of life. | Impact of British colonialism on the individual and wider Igbo community. | Pre-colonial Nigeria and the first wave of colonialism in the 1890's. Set predominantly in Umuofia and also a period of exile in Mbanta, a rural village. |
Arrow of God | Follows the disastrous consequences of British interference in Igbo affairs. Most notable is the unjust jailing of a priest of Ulu which disrupted usual processes and led to delayed harvest and famine. Having lost faith in the God Ulu, the community undergoes mass conversion to Christianity. | Impact of British colonialism on the religious and social life of the Igbo community. | 1920's colonial Nigeria. Set in and focused on the affairs of six rural Igbo villages in Umuaro. |
No Longer at Ease | Follows Obi Okonkwo, who leaves for an education in Britain before returning to work for the Nigerian civil service. He later falls in love with a girl his parents do not approve of. Finding himself overwhelmed by spiralling loan repayments and financial responsibilities he accepts a bribe against his better judgment. | Impact of British colonialism on the individual. Conflicting values, love, and corruption. The main character, Obi, is the grandson of the main character of Things Fall Apart, providing continuity and a familial link. | 1950's colonial Nigeria. Set in Britain, Lagos, and also refers back to the main character's home village of Umuofia. |
Chinua Achebe : Books
While it is impossible to address all the themes in Chinua Achebe's contribution to literature, we can examine some common themes that are often found in his novels, poetry, and short stories.
Some common themes include love, family relationships, tradition and change, societal relationships, masculinity and femininity, justice and injustice, grief, religion, and spirituality. The most prominent theme, however, is the impact of colonialism and how it tore communities apart.
The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart. - Things Fall Apart (1958)
The historical context of Achebe's works
Chinua Achebe lived through tumultuous times, with political and cultural developments influencing many of his works. After his close childhood friend Okigbo was killed in the Biafran War, he composed the poem 'A Wake for Okigbo' (2002). This poem was inspired by traditional Igbo dirges and addresses the themes of grief and denial:
Who are we looking for?
Who are we looking for?
Okigbo is who we are looking for.
He's hiding in play.
The African Trilogy, as we said earlier, relates heavily to the colonisation of Nigeria by the British. Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901 and gained independence from Britain on 1 October 1990.
The biographical context of Achebe's works
When Chinua Achebe was a schoolboy, he read texts such as Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness (1899). These texts portrayed Africans who had not come into contact with Europeans as uncivilised, backwards, dangerous, and savage, without societal structures such as criminal justice systems.
Through his works, most notably Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe challenged ignorant assertions by presenting pre-colonial societies as having their own thriving social, cultural, economic, and agrarian bases. He detailed village life and how families farmed together and lived in carefully maintained compounds.
Fig. 1 - Village life is important in Achebe's novel.
Chinua Achebe: facts and place in seminal world literature
Seminal World literature can be defined as texts from around the world that have had significant influence in the field of literature and enabled people to share common human experiences through the written word.
Through Chinua Achebe's English-language novels, stories and poems, he was able to express the authentic stories of Igbo communities. Furthermore, he was able to reach and enlighten a readership that had previously had greater exposure to stories about Africa and Africans penned by Western writers such as Joseph Conrad, whose stories were often mired in inaccuracies and prejudice.
Fig. 2 - Achebe wanted his books to reach a global audience.
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