Achebe, Chinua (1930– )

Nigerian novelist. His themes include the social and political impact of European colonialism on African people, and the problems of newly independent African nations. His best-known work is the influential Things Fall Apart (1958), one of the first African novels to achieve a global reputation.

His other novels include Arrow of God (1964), which depicts traditional Ibo society and the response of individual Ibos to European missionaries and administrators. No Longer at Ease (1960), A Man of the People (1966), and The Anthills of Savannah (1987) reveal the lasting effects of colonialism for contemporary Nigerians. Achebe has also written children's books, Chike and the River (1972) and How the Leopard Got Its Claws (1973), the short story collection Girls at War and Other Stories (1972), and a volume of poetry, Christmas in Biafra (1973). He also founded and edited Okike (1971), an African journal of new writing, and has received numerous awards, including the Man Booker International Prize in 2007.

Achebe was born in Ogidi, East Central State, Nigeria, and graduated in English literature in 1953 from University College, Ibadan. In 1954 he was appointed talks producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company, and served as director of external broadcasting 1961–66. During the Nigerian Civil War, he wrote and lectured throughout the world as a spokesperson for the Biafran cause. He was a professor of English at the University of Nigeria 1976–81. His other works include books of essays and lectures, such as Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975), Hopes and Impediments (1988), and Nigerian Topics (1989).