Read the full list --- http://afrolit.org/chinua-achebe-facts/


Chinua Achebe, one of the most – if not the most – revered storytellers from Africa is definitely no stranger on the lips of African home and abroad.

The name ‘Achebe’ is not foreign to most African homes, he has written some of the greatest works to ever come out of the continent. His most popular book ‘Things Fall Apart’ is ranked in TIME’s 100 Best Novels.

Thanks to him and a few other names in the African literary space, the post-colonial eras met an upsurge of African literature entering the west.

However, some aspects of the author’s life are known by few lovers of the giant e.g the fact about his name, why he didn’t accept the second most prestigious Nigerian awards etc.

In today’s article, we shall be exploring these territories.

Some Amazing Facts About The Great Writer
1. The Name ‘Chinua’
Chinua’s parents named him ‘Albert’, after Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria of Great Britain.

Since Achebe was born when Nigeria was a British colony, educated English-speaking families like the Achebes occupied a privileged position in the Nigerian power structure. He surely had the privilege of education and a better life.

But Achebe would not have the english name as his identity, he chose to name himself; Chinua, a traditional Igbo name when he was in college.

Chinua means ‘God’s Own Blessing’

2. A Marriage Of Elites
Did you know that both Chinua and his wife Christie, were professors.

While Chinua was focused on writing and telling the African story, his wife Professor Christi Chinwe was a professor and a therapist.

You can imagine what offspring that would birth…

3. Most Read Book In The Continent After The Bible [and the Quran?]
Chinua Achebe’s most popular work, Things Fall Apart is acclaimed to also be the most popular book on the African continent. It is so popular that its title ‘Things Fall Apart’ is now a catch-phrase that gets used frequently as a vernacular of Africans.

The book is also said to be the next most read book in the country, falling only behind the Bible [one cannot truly ascertain the truth in this however].

4. Most Translated African Book
Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ is arguably the most translated book from Africa.

According to modern findings, the book has been translated from English Language into over 60 different languages over the world.

5. The Legacy Lives On Through The Children
One of the kids from the union of Chinua Achebe and his wife; Christie Chinwe Achebe is also a writer. One who is concerned with telling the stories of women of Africa.

Nwando Achebe, the youngest of them all, is the author of The Female King of Colonial Nigeria: Ahebi Ugbabe which won the 2013 Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize. The prize is one for any outstanding book that gives priority to the experiences of African women.

Her next projects are also female-centric; African Queens, Spiritual Monarchs, and Female Kings.


Read the full list --- http://afrolit.org/chinua-achebe-facts/


Let us know in the comments, which of these, you knew.