Chinua Achebe Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 in Ogidi, Nigeria. His father was Isaiah Okafo, a Christian churchman and was a teacher in a missionary school, and his mother was Janet N. Achebe. His parents tried to raise Achebe with their traditional Igbo culture, but mixed it in with the Protestant religion.
In 1944 Achebe attended Government College in Umuahia. Later he attended the University College of Ibadan. There he studied Anglistics, history and theology. While he was studying at University College of Ibadan he rejected his British name (Albert) and took his indigenous name Chinua. In 1953 he graduated with a BA. After that he traveled in Africa and America, and worked as a teacher. Then he returned to Nigeria and worked at the Nigerian Broadcasting company in 1954. In the 1960's he was the director of External Services in charge of the Voice of Nigeria. In 1961 he Married Christie Chinwe Okoli and had four children: Chinelo, Ikechukwu, Chidi, and Nwando. During the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70) he was in the Biafran government service.
In 1958 Achebe wrote his first novel, Things Fall Apart. It was the story of a traditional Igbo village and the troubles they had to face. Two years later he wrote No Longer At Ease, and in 1964 he also wrote Arrow of God, which concerned traditional Igbo life as it faces colonization. Some of his later works include short stories, poetry, and several books for children.
Achebe received many awards for his excellent stories, poems and other writings. He won the Margaret Wrong Memorial Prize, 1959, for Things Fall Apart and Nigerian National Merit Award, 1979. He received many more awards later in his life.
Achebe died in 1992.

---

[ Back | Biography | Review ]