Three Lessons Achebe Taught Me
Chinua Achebe has been described as "the grandfather of African fiction" who "lit up a path for many others." I met this extraordinary Nigerian novelist, poet, and professor when I read his debut novel, Things Fall Apart . The book was a compulsory literary text in secondary school and has been translated into more than 50 languages. It has sold over 8 million copies worldwide. According to Wikipedia, the book is the most widely read book in modern African literature. It is quite fascinating that Things Fall Apart and most of Achebe's novels rely heavily on the Ibo tradition and the effect of Christian influences on traditional African values during and after the colonial era. He uses lots of Ibo folk stories and proverbs to tell his stories. His success partly arose from his background, culture and environment. Lesson One Your culture and background influence your thinking and views.