Chinua Achebe: A Biography [Hardcover]

Ezenwa-Ohaeto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1997

"... some 10 years of painstaking enquiry are presented with sustained energy... Ezenwa-Ohaeto has completed a remarkable feat..." —West Africa

"... a gold mine of a source for future researchers." —The Literary Griot

"... in this meticulously researched work, [Ezenwa-Ohaeto] provides a wealth of information that should prove invaluable to all future studies of Achebe." —Library Journal

"Great back-up for classes reading Achebe's Things Fall Apart." —Booklist

"This pioneering biography draws upon a wealth of printed and oral sources to produce a vivid record of the life and times of Africa's most influential novelist. Ezenwa-Ohaeto is Achebe's Boswell; nothing of importance, large or small, seems to escape him." —Bernth Lindfors, University of Texas

This is the first biography of the internationally acclaimed author of Things Fall Apart, the most widely read African novel, first published in 1958 and now a classic, with more than 12 million copies in print. Things Fall Apart is a defining moment in African and world literature.

Ezenwa-Ohaeto's biography is the first comprehensive account of Achebe's life to date. Based on extensive research and numerous interviews, this is also the first work to trace the story of Achebe's life while putting his achievement into a social and historical context.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Chinua Achebe is the founding father of modern African literature. His novels, from Things Fall Apart (1958) to Anthills of the Savannah (1987), set the standard for all writers who aspire to portray the continent's complex colonial and tribal legacy. This respectful biography by former student Ezenwa-Ohaeto thoroughly delineates the tangled history of Achebe's native Nigeria and chronicles his courageous support of human rights, frequently violated by Nigeria's government. Achebe's magical fiction needs no explication, but with this biography Western readers will gain a new understanding of the man who created it.

From Library Journal

There have been several good books in recent years on Achebe, the world-renowned African writer, including C.L. Innes's Chinua Achebe (Cambridge, 1990) and Simon Cikandi's Reading Chinua Achebe: Language and Ideology (Heinemann, 1991). But Ezenwa-Ohaeto has provided the first biography on the author. He sheds light on all aspects of Achebe's life from his youth through 1993, describing not only his literary contributions as novelist, poet, essayist, children's writer, and editor but also his role in Nigeria's stormy political history. The book is peppered with quotations by and about Achebe, many from sources not easily available. Ezenwa-Ohaeto was a former student of Achebe's at the University of Nigeria, and at times he seems to hold his subject in awe. However, in this meticulously researched work, he provides a wealth of information that should prove invaluable to all future studies of Achebe. Full primary and secondary bibliographies are included.?Louis J. Parascandola, Long Island Univ., Brooklyn Campus
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (October 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253333423
• ISBN-13: 978-0253333421
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,504,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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