Chinua Achebe author page

Chinua Achebe biography

Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic. He is best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart, published in 1958 by William Heinemann Ltd. The novel is widely regarded as a classic of modern African literature and has been translated into more than fifty languages. Achebe’s subsequent novels include No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987).

Achebe also wrote short stories, poetry, and essays. His short story collection Girls at War and Other Stories was published in 1972. His poetry collections include Beware, Soul Brother (1971) and Christmas in Biafra and Other Poems (1973). Achebe edited several anthologies, including Modern African Stories (1964) and African Short Stories (1985).

He received numerous literary awards and honours, including the Man Booker International Prize in 2007. Achebe was also awarded the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1972 and the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize in 2010. In 2002, he was named a Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian government.

Chinua Achebe’s final novel, There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra, was published in 2012.