CHINUA ACHEBE This page intentionally left blank Chinua Achebe

Novelist, Poet, Critic

David Carroll Professor of English University of Lancaster © David Carroll 1980, 1990 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 2nd edition 1990 978-0-333-49080-8 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WI P 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First edition 1980 Second edition 1990

Published by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world

ISBN 978-1-349-38893-6 ISBN 978-0-230-37521-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230375215 ISBN 978-0-333-49081-5 paperback

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 03 02 01 00 99 98 97

First published in the United States of America 1980 Second edition 1990 published by ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010

ISBN 978-0-312-13386-3 Contents

Preface vii

Chronology ix

1 Introduction 1

2 Things Fall Apart 32

3 No Longer at Ease 62

4 ArrowofGod 86

5 A Man of the People 119

6 Short Stories and Poetry 146

7 Anthills of the Savannah 167

8 Conclusion 186

Notes 196

Select Bibliography 199

Index 203 To my wife, Dorothy Preface

The most recent version of this study appeared in 1980. Since then Achebe has published a political diagnosis of his country, The Trouble with Nigeria (1983); a collection of essays, Hopes and Impedi• ments (1988); and after a gap of many years, a major new novel, Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Writing about his work has con• tinued apace. In response, I have extended the Introduction to trace Achebe's developing ideas of the role of the writer and critic in Africa; included a new chapter on Anthills of the Savannah; revised the Conclusion; and brought the Bibliography up to date. All references to Achebe's works are to the following editions, published by Heinemann: Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (second edition, 1974), A Man of the People (1966), Beware, Soul Brother (1972), Girls at War and Other Stories (1972), Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975), The Trouble with Nigeria (1984), Anthills of the Savannah (1987), Hopes and Impediments (1988). The spelling 'Igbo' is used throughout to refer both to Achebe's people and language, except in quotations where the form 'lbo' will occasionally be found. This is in accordance with Achebe's own practice where, in his later writing, he implies that the former is the indigenous, the latter the non-African usage. I wish to record my gratitude to the University of Toronto for its generous assistance during the original writing of this study; to the University of Lancaster for more recent help; and to Chinua Achebe for kindly providing information for the Chronology. I thank again Paul Edwards of the University of Edinburgh, that committed Africanist, for his encouragement during our years at Fourah Bay College, Freetown.

David Carroll University of Lancaster

vii Acknowledgements

The author and publishers are grateful for the following copyright holders who have given permission to quote from the works of Chinua Achebe:

Bolt & Watson Ltd. on behalf of the author for extracts from 'Onitsha, Gift of the Niger' and 'The Novelist as Teacher' from Morning Yet on Creation Day; Heinemann Educational Books Ltd. for extracts from Beware, Soul Brother; William Heinemann Ltd. for extracts from Things Fall Apart.

viii Chronology

1930 Albert Chinualumogu Achebe born at Ogidi, Eastern Nigeria, the fifth of six children, to Christian evangelist parents. 1953 After Government College, Umuahia, he graduated from University College, Ibadan, with a BA (London). 1954 Talks Producer with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corpora• tion. 1956 Studied at the BBC in London. 1958 Things Fall Apart published. 1959 Controller, NBC, Lagos. Awarded the Margaret Wong Memorial Prize for his contribution to African Literature. 1960 Nigerian Independence. No Longer at Ease published. 1960-61 Travelled in East Africa on a Rockefeller Fellowship. 1961-66 Director of External Broadcasting, NBC. 1963 Travelled in the United States, Brazil and Britain on a UNESCO Fellowship. 1964 Arrow of God published. Received the Jock Campbell• New Statesman Award for Literature. 1966 A Man of the People published. First military coup in Nigeria in January; second coup in July. 1967 Biafra declared its secession from the Federation of Nigeria in May. Fighting begins in July. Achebe sent on political missions to Europe and North America in Biafran cause. Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1967-72). 1970 Biafra unconditionally surrendered in January. 1971 Beware, Soul Brother (poems) published (revised edition, 1972). Founder editor of Okike: an African Journal of New Writing. 1972 Awarded first Commonwealth Poetry prize. Girls at War and Other Stories published. Awarded Hon. D.Litt. by Dartmouth College, USA. (Eleven other universities have subsequently awarded him honorary degrees.)

ix X Chronology

1972-76 Residence in the United States: Visiting Professor of English, University of Massachusetts (1972-75), and University Professor of English, University of Connecticut (1975-76). 1973 Professor of English, University of Nigeria at Nsukka: early retirement 1981, made Emeritus Professor 1985. 1975 Morning Yet on Creation Day (essays) published. Honorary Fellow, Modern Language Association of America. 1979 Nigerian National Merit Award; and Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 1981 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (London). 1983 Appointed Deputy National President, People's Re• demption Party. 1984 Visiting Professor of English, University of Guelph, Canada; Regents Professor of English, University of California at Los Angeles. 1987 Anthills of the Savannah published. 1987-88 Visiting Professor of African Studies, University of Massachusetts. 1988 Hopes and Impediments (essays) published. 1989 Visiting Professor of English, City University of New York.