Babel

Rare appearance by the world renowned author of Things Fall Apart (1958), Africa's greatest novel, on the 50th anniversary of its publication.

Chinua Achebe, born November 16, 1930, is a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic. He is best known for his first novel Things Fall Apart (1958), the most widely read book in modern African literature. Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo village of Ogidi in southern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with world religions and traditional African cultures, and began writing stories as a university student. After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service and soon moved to the metropolis of Lagos. He gained worldwide attention for Things Fall Apart in the late 1950s; his later novels include No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Achebe wrote his novels in English and has defended the use of English—a language of colonizers—in African literature. His 1975 lecture "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" became the focus of controversy for its criticism of Joseph Conrad as "a thoroughgoing racist."

When Biafra broke away from Nigeria in 1967, Achebe became a devoted supporter of Biafran independence and served as an ambassador for the people of the new nation. The war ravaged the populace, and as starvation and violence took its toll, he appealed to the people of Europe and the Americas for aid. When the Nigerian government retook the region in 1970, he involved himself in political parties, but soon resigned due to frustration over the corruption and elitism he witnessed. He had lived in the United States for several years in the 1970s, and returned in 1990 after a car accident left him partially disabled.

Achebe's novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of values during and after the colonial era. His style relies heavily on the Igbo oral tradition, and combines straightforward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He has also published a number of short stories, children's books, and essay collections. He is currently the Charles P. Stevenson Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Besides major grant support from The John R. Oishei Foundation, the organizers of Babel thank Artvoice, Buffalo Spree, & WBFO 88.7 for their media sponsorship; Righteous Babe Records for the use of Asbury Hall at Babeville; Talking Leaves...Books; The Mansion; and New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and Erie County, for their support of Just Buffalo's and Hallwalls' programs.

Some publications related to this event:
September, 2008 - 2008