Chinua Achebe believes that an author’s function, particularly an African author’s function, is a social one. In his novels, he criticizes both the dehumanizing effects of British imperialism on the Nigerian population and the destructive influences of Nigerian political corruption that plagued his country after achieving independence. Above all, his novels express his desire to destroy the myth of African inferiority and to inspire more tolerant society.
Born in
Ogidi, Nigeria, when Nigeria was still a British colony, Achebe was raised in a
Christian family that had converted from the traditional religion of their Ibo
kinsfolk. In his autobiography, he describes his parents as strong in their
Christian beliefs but not fanatical. ‘Their lives were ruled’ he says, ‘as much
by reason by faith; as much by common sense and compassion as by doctrine.’
Achebe’s experiences growing up in two different cultures and his observations
of Nigeria under colonial rule and after independence instilled in him a strong
belief in the values of objectivity, pragmatism, and tolerance.
After
graduation from college, Achebe accepted a position as a producer for the
Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. During this period, he published several of
the novels that have secured his literary reputation. The first of these, Things
Fall Apart, is the story of a traditional Ibo community that disintegrates
after the arrival of European missionaries. The book earned Achebe
international recognition and regarded by some historians as the most widely
read and influential African novel ever written. Achebe’s later novels portray
Nigerian society during colonial times and following independence.
In 2007,
Achebe won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize, which is given once
every two years to a living author for his or her body of fictional work. One
of the judges, South African author Nadine Gordimer, commented that
Ahcebe’s ‘early work made him the father
of modern African literature.’
Nigeria
became an independent nation in 1960, but political corruption and cultural
differences among ethnic groups have hampered its efforts to establish a
democratic system. Following episodes of violence and full-scale civil war,
Nigeria came under the rule of military regimes at the end of twentieth
century.
Chinua
Ahebe’s one of the famous sayings sums up his purpose of writing as a native
writer who writes in English. He says ‘The worst thing that can happen to any
people is the loss of their dignity and self-respect. The writer’s duty is to
help them to regain it…’
Source:
Glencoe’s book of World Literature
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