Anthills of the Savannah | Chinua Achebe Biography

Born in eastern Nigeria on November 16, 1930 Chinua Achebe was deeply influenced by the Ibo (one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria) and by the British colonial and post-colonial elements of contemporary African society. His father, one of the first Christian converts in the village, was a member of the Church Missionary Society and strongly discouraged his son from accepting native, non-Christian belief systems. Still, Achebe was drawn to the traditional beliefs and mythology of the Ibo. He began to learn English at the age of eight, and at fourteen he was selected to attend the Government College at Unuahia, one of West Africa's best schools. In 1948, he became a student in the first class at University College in Ibadan. Although intending to study medicine, he soon changed in favor of English coursework.

Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe

One year after graduating with honors in 1953, Achebe went to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company. His radio career ended, however, in 1966, when he left his position as Director of External Broadcasting in Nigeria during the political and religious unrest leading to the Biafran War, a civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970. Achebe joined the Biafran Ministry of Information and became involved in fundraising and diplomatic endeavors, a role similar to that of Chris Osodi in Anthills of the Savannah. In 1971, Achebe became the editor of Nigerian Journal of New Writing. Achebe is also a respected lecturer and teacher. From 1972 to 1975, he was Professor of English at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and in 1987 he accepted a year-long position as Professor of African Studies at University of Connecticut at Storrs. In addition, he has been Professor Emeritus at University of Nigeria at Nsukka since 1984.

Achebe began to exercise his writing ability while still working in radio, but it was not until he left broadcasting that he began to pursue writing seriously. His work includes poetry, short stories, children's writing, and novels. Achebe was one of the first to write in English about the contours and complexities of African culture. His first novel, Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, remains his best-known. Upon its publication, Achebe earned a reputation as a writer with a uniquely African point of view who could write honestly about British colonialism in Nigeria. Achebe published No Longer at Ease, The Sacrificial Egg and Other Stories, Arrow of God, and A Man of the People, then waited twenty-one years to publish Anthills of the Savannah in 1987. His work since then includes Hopes and Impediments: Selected Essays 1965-1987 and Beyond Hunger in Africa.

Regarded as one of the founders of Nigeria's literary development, Achebe uses his work to call for an end to oppression and a return to order, integrity, and beauty. He continues to combine his role as a storyteller with a sense of responsibility to write with purpose and to instruct his readers.

Dictionary Tip:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.