“Until the lions produce their own historians, the story of the hunt will glorify only the hunter.”
Chinua Achebe, Home and Exile
Literature is the expression of life in words of truth and beauty.It encompasses all genres of literature-poetry,prose,fiction,drama,philosophy,history etc.Among them,fiction is any narrative,whether in prose or verse,which is invented instead of being an account of events that actually happened.
The voice of Africa in the world of letters tries to emancipate Africa from its literary stereotype.Africa is no longer a gloomy phenomenon,a dark continent.Chinua Achebe, the major exponent of the modern African novel,is greatly concerned with the two realities ...view middle of the document...
One of the most effective tools of colonial hegemonic control is the negation of identity through the denial of a collective history.
If there is any single work that can be considered central to the evolving canon of modern African literature, it is, without question, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. The novel owes this distinction to the innovative significance it assumed as soon as it was published, a significance that was manifested in at least two respects. In the first place, the novel provided an image of an African society, reconstituted as a living entity and in its historic circumstance.
Achebe's novel articulated a new vision of the African world and gave expression to a new sense of the African experience that was more penetrating than what had been available before its appearance
Women and men may have several identities simultaneously, both personal and cultural. Cultural identities often refer to feelings of belonging and are frequently plural in contemporary society, in particular as a result of geographical and social mobility.
I would thus define cultural identity as the result of a process whereby individuals or groups evaluate consciously or subconsciously their own situation in society, and attempt to establish a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence which enables them to accept their own place in life and society.
literature can also function, through its analysis of different cultural identities, as a link to national heritage.
Chinua Achebe is a world-renowned scholar recognized for his ability to write simply, yet eloquently, about life's
universal qualities. His writing weaves together history and fiction to produce a literary broadcloth that offers
visions of people enduring real life. Critics appreciate his just and realistic treatment of his topics.
Achebe writes primarily about his native Africa, where he was born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe in 1930. He grew up in Ogidi, Nigeria, one of the first centers of Anglican missionary work in Eastern Nigeria. His father and mother, Isaiah and Janet Achebe, were missionary teachers. Achebe's life as a Christian and member of the lbo tribe enables him to create realistic depictions of both contemporary and pre-colonized Africa. He blends his knowledge of Western political ideologies and Christian doctrine with folklore, proverbs, and idioms from his native tribe to produce stories of African culture that are intimate and authentic.
Achebe has written extensively throughout his adult life. His numerous articles, novels, short stories, essays, and
children's books have earned prestigious awards. For example, his book of poetry Christmas in Biafra was a winner
of the first Commonwealth Poetry Prize. His novels Arrow of God and Anthills of the Savannah won, respectively,
the New Statesman-Jock Campbell Award and finalist for the 1987 Booker Prize in England
Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart just before Nigeria received its independence. He...
