The achievements of the novelist Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe was a highly respected author from Nigeria, whom most people, including Tunde Folawiyo, have probably heard of. Although Achebe's novels are written mainly for those living in Africa, they have, over the decades, been translated into over forty languages.

Over the course of his lifetime, he published a large collection of essays, short stories, novels, poetry and children's books, and won many awards for his work, including the New Statesman-Jock Campbell Award for 'Arrow of God', and the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for the poetry volume, 'Christmas in Biafra'. In 2007, he received one of the world's most prestigious awards, the Man Booker Prize. In addition to these, Achebe was also the recipient of over twenty honorary doctorates.

Born in Ogidi in 1930, Achebe's family were members of the Igbo tribe. However, Achebe was raised as a Christian, although he always retained an interest in the more traditional faiths of his homeland. He was a talented and intelligent young man, and did well in his studies, graduating from the University College at Ibadan at the age of 24. He published his first book, entitled 'Things Fall Apart', four years later; based on the clash between the Western culture of the missionaries, and that of native Africans, the novel was enormously successful, and has since been included on many school's required reading lists.

During the sixties, Achebe wrote prolifically, publishing a total of three novels between 1960 and 1960. Named 'A Man of the People', 'Arrow of God' and 'No Longer at Ease', each of the books dealt with the issue of colonial perspectives coming into conflict with traditional ways of life in Africa.

Whilst he was known primarily for his writing, Achebe was also a teacher. For four years in the seventies, and one year in the eighties, Achebe served an English professor at the University of Massachusetts. In addition to this, he spent one year working at the University of Connecticut. His longest period of teaching took place at Bard College, located just outside of New York City. He lectured here for more than 15 years, before leaving to becoming a faculty member of Brown University. He passed away four years later, at the age of 82.

Folawiyo takes a keen interest in the accomplishments of influential figures like Achebe. However, this is just one of his many interests; to learn more about his areas of expertise, follow Tunde Folawiyo projects online.