# Chinua Achebe

_Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic (1930-2013)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/chinua-achebe
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Chinua Achebe ( ; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel and magnum opus, Things Fall Apart (1958), occupies a pivotal place in African literature and remains the most widely studied, translated, and read African novel. Along with Things Fall Apart, his No Longer at Ease (1960) and Arrow of God (1964) complete the "African Trilogy". Later novels include A Man of the People (1966) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Achebe is often referred to as the "father of modern African literature", although he vigorously rejected the characterization.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 16 November 1930 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Ogidi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P19))
- **Died:** 21 March 2013 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P570))
- **Place of death:** Boston ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Colonial Nigeria; Nigeria ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P27))
- **Occupation:** novelist; poet; literary critic; essayist; writer; philosopher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P106))
- **Political party:** People's Redemption Party (1981–1983) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P102))
- **Education:** University of London; University of Ibadan; Government College Umuahia ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P69))
- **Spouse:** Christie Chinwe Okoli-Achebe ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P26))
- **Awards:** Peace Prize of the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association; International Booker Prize; Nigerian National Order of Merit Award; St. Louis Literary Award; International Nonino Prize; Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Lotus Prize for Literature; Commonwealth Poetry Prize; honorary doctorate; The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845#P166))

## About

Born in Ogidi, Colonial Nigeria, Achebe was influenced in his childhood by both Igbo traditional culture and colonial Christianity. He excelled in school and attended what is now the University of Ibadan, where he became fiercely critical of how Western literature depicted Africa. Moving to Lagos after graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS) and garnered international attention for his 1958 novel Things Fall Apart. In less than 10 years, he would publish four further novels through the publisher Heinemann, with whom he began the Heinemann African Writers Series and galvanized the careers of African writers, such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and Flora Nwapa.

Achebe sought to escape the colonial perspective that framed African literature at the time, and drew from the traditions of the Igbo people, Christian influences, and the clash of Western and African values to create a uniquely African voice. He wrote in and defended the use of English, describing it as a means to reach a broad audience, particularly readers of colonial nations. In 1975 he gave a controversial lecture, "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness", which was a landmark in…

## Questions

**When was Chinua Achebe born?**  
Chinua Achebe was born on 16 November 1930 in Ogidi.

**Where did Chinua Achebe study?**  
Chinua Achebe was educated at University of London, University of Ibadan, Government College Umuahia.

## Related

- [Leonardo da Vinci](https://diginpl.com/people/leonardo-da-vinci)
- [Michelangelo](https://diginpl.com/people/michelangelo)
- [Vincent van Gogh](https://diginpl.com/people/vincent-van-gogh)
- [Frida Kahlo](https://diginpl.com/people/frida-kahlo)
- [William Shakespeare](https://diginpl.com/people/william-shakespeare)
- [Rabindranath Tagore](https://diginpl.com/people/rabindranath-tagore)
- [Leo Tolstoy](https://diginpl.com/people/leo-tolstoy)
- [Maya Angelou](https://diginpl.com/people/maya-angelou)
- [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://diginpl.com/people/ludwig-van-beethoven)
- [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://diginpl.com/people/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart)
- [Gabriel García Márquez](https://diginpl.com/people/gabriel-garcia-marquez)
- [Hayao Miyazaki](https://diginpl.com/people/hayao-miyazaki)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Chinua Achebe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q155845](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155845) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Chinua Achebe, 1966.jpg by Carlo Bavagnoli (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinua_Achebe,_1966.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Chinua Achebe, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Chinua Achebe, 1966.jpg — Carlo Bavagnoli, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Chinua Achebe". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/chinua-achebe. Retrieved 15 November 2026.