Chinua Achebe eBooks

Chinua Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 in Nigeria. As a child he was very smart and excelled at his studies. This won him a scholarship to the Government College in Umuahia. At college the language was strictly English, as the college was emulating the British school system. Not only did they want to model themselves after the British by exclusively using English, but the use of this language allowed a common language among different Nigerian groups.

After graduating from college, Achebe landed a position at the Nigerian Broadcast Service. During this time he was also working on his novels. His first novel, Things Fall Apart, was a hit and gained Achebe worldwide notice. He has written several more novels, all of which deal with strife and struggle in Africa. He often focuses his novels on the traditions of his local area, the Igbo people, the effects that Christianity had on his homeland, and the clash between traditional Nigerian beliefs and Western beliefs and values during and after the colonial era.

Achebe’s full first name is Chinualumogu, which means “May God fight on my behalf.” His parents converted to the Protestant Church when missionaries came to the area. Although his father and mother converted, they still respected the older ways of their native religion.

Achebe is now a professor at David and Marianna Fisher University and a professor at Brown University specializing in African Studies.