CHINUA ACHEBE

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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
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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.