Chinua+Achebe

Nicole Kaminsky and Tim Ko
= Chinua Achebe =



Albert Chinualmoga Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 in Oigidi Nigeria. He was raised as a Christian Evangelical by his parents Isaiah Okafo and Janet N. Achebe. He grew up influenced by Igbo traditions and colonial legacy. He attended London University, Government College in Umuahia, University College in Ibadan, and studied broadcasting at the British Broadcasting Corporation in London. He is a poet, novelist, and Nigerian Dramatist. In his writings he tries to combine African oracle traditions, Igbo vocabulary and narratives in order to show the lives of tribes. Achebe was married on September 10, 1961 to Christie Chinwe Okoli. They have four children named Chinelo, Ikechukwu, Chidi, and Nwando. Chinua has taught at many schools like University of Nigeria, University of Massachusetts, University of Connecticut and Bard College. In 1987, he received the Nigerian National Merit award. He is a well respected writer that uses his stories to teach a lesson.



Chinua Achebe's books are influenced much by his culture. He comes from a Nigerian background and was raised by Christian parents. With this said, Achebe's books are based off of varying Western customs in contrast with African traditions. Instead of copying the writing styles of other Europeans like most African writers, Achebe has learned to use his African roots as the base of all of his novels.The topics of his stories range from an African man's first encounter with a white man to a well educated African man who does his best to change the ways of an entire city. Achebe does his best to gradually introduce Igbo culture into his books by referencing different aspects of his customs that represent Nigeria. Achebe has come to be known as a natural African writer. He believes that any good novel must come with a message or purpose. His first book that he had written in 1958 was "Things Fall Apart." This is a book set in a time where Western missionaries and colonials disrupt the tradition of several villages in Achebe's homeland of Nigeria. Chinua Achebe has gone on to write many other pieces of African literature.

Bibliography:

"Biography of Chinua Achebe (1930-)." //GrAdeSaver//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 1924. .

"Chinua Achebe Biography." //Biography.com//. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .

"Chinua Achebe's Biography and Style." //Home | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill//. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .

"Chinua Achebe's Biography and Style." //Postcolonial and Postimperial Literature: An Overview//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. .

Picture Urls:

http://www.33ff.com/flags/worldflags/Nigeria_flag.html

http://www.universeofpoetry.org/nigeria_p2.shtml

http://www.djibnet.com/photo/achebe/chinua-achebe-things-fall-apart-3282139228.html