1. Chinua Achebe: A Writer, An Influence, A Story-teller
By: Victoria Prisby, Tyler Smith, Jacob Croley, Alex McClure (Space-Pope), and Kristina McFarland

2. Early Life
Born Albert Chinualamogu Achebe in Eastern Nigeria (no set city) on November 16, 1930
When 5, he and his family moved to Ogidi
His first school was a church school in Ogidi that taught in
Ibo (or Igbo)
He first learned English at age 8
Went to Government College for secondary school at age 14
Went to University College in Ibadan (now called University of Ibadan)

3. Originally went for medicine, had a good scholarship
Later transferred to literature and lost scholarship
Published his first publication at college called “Polar Undergraduate”
It was a satire about students and their behavior
Later became editor of University Herald, the newspaper of the college

4. His career starts off:
Joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Company (NBC) in 1953
In 1958, wrote Things Fall Apart and received the Margaret Wrong Memorial Prize for it
1960, wrote No Longer at Ease and won the Nigerian National Trophy for Literature
In 1961, married Christie Chinwe Okoli & had 4 kids

5. In 1961, became Director of External Broadcasting at NBC
In 1962, became founding editor of Heinemann's African Writers Series (Heinemann is a publishing company)
In 1964, wrote Arrow of God & received the Jack Campbell New Statesman Award
Became a spokesperson for Biafran secession (Biafra was a section of Nigeria that tried to break away but surrendered)
Became spokesperson for the Ibo culture
Edited Okike: An African Journal of New Writing
In 1972, wrote Girls at War and Other Stories (released in US as Christmas in Biafra and Other Poems in 1973)
’72-’76, taught English at the University of Massachusetts and University of Connecticut

6. In 1976, he returned to teach English at the University of Nigeria
In 1982, edited Aka Weta (an anthology) with Obiora Udechukwu
In 1983, wrote The Trouble with Nigeria, his ideas for helping Nigeria politically
Edited Uwa ndi lgbo: a Journal of Igbo Life and Culture
In 1987, Anthills of the Savannah (1st novel in 20 years)
Went back to teaching at the University of Massachusetts
Also took up teaching at City College of New York and Bard College
He taught at Bard for 15 years
In the 1990’s, he was in a car accident that paralyzed him from the waist down

7. Closer to his death:
After the car accident and being paralyzed, he was confined to a wheelchair
In 2007, received the Man Booker International Prize
In 2009, started teaching at Brown University & David and Marianna Fisher University as a Professor of African Studies
In 2010, received Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
Has received honorary degrees from 30+ universities
Died March 21, 2013 in Boston at the age of 82 from an illness while in the hospital
It is not said what illness it was
Is seen as “the father of African literature”

8. Some of his publications:
Beware Soul Brother (1971) (a collection of poems)
Girls at War and Other Stories (1972) (a collection of poems)
Aka Weta (1982) (an anthology)
The Trouble with Nigeria (1983) (a set of political ideas)
Anthills of the Savannah (1987) (a novel) (Kangan, a fictional country, must deal with a dictatorship and the corruption that comes)
Hopes and Impediments: Selected Essays, (1988) (a collection of essays)
Polar Undergraduate (a satire about students)
Things Fall Apart (1958) (a novel)
No Longer at Ease (1960) (a novel) (a man named Obi Onkonkwo struggles to adapt to Western culture)
Arrow of God (1964) (a novel) (a chief priest of Ibo villages must face colonial spread)
A Man of the People (1966) (a novel) (a satire of the changing times, a younger man has different opinions than his teacher; is seen as prophetic, as many of the events occurred in real life later on)
His writing seems to be based on trying to counter previous writings of African people as savages and trying to spread truth through fiction. The titles of Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease are based on Irish and American poems.

9. Some of his awards:
Margaret Wrong Memorial Prize (for Things Fall Apart)
Nigerian National Trophy for Literature
(for No Longer at Ease)
Jack Campbell New Statesman Award (for Arrow of God)
Commonwealth Poetry Prize (for Beware Soul Brother)
Nigerian National Merit Award
Order of the Federal Republic
Man Booker International Prize
Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
Various Honorary degrees

10. URLs
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