Paris Review - The Art Of Fiction No. 139, Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe On Writing
OGIDI, NIGERIA: (FILES) This file picture taken 09 September 1999 shows Nigerian Author Chinua Achebe outside his home at Ogidi, eastern Nigeria. Nigeria's literary giant Chinua Achebe has rejected 17 October 2004 a national award by President Olusegun Obasanjo, attributing the decision to the 'dangerous' state of affairs in the country. Achebe, a professor of literature and author of the classic 'Things Fall Apart', which has sold more than 11 million copies in at least 50 countries, was nominated for the Commander of the Federal Republic award the week before. AFP PHOTO/FILES/PETER CUNLIFFE-JONES (Photo credit should read PETER CUNLIFFE-JONES/AFP/Getty Images)
OGIDI, NIGERIA: (FILES) This file picture taken 09 September 1999 shows Nigerian Author Chinua Achebe outside his home at Ogidi, eastern Nigeria. Nigeria's literary giant Chinua Achebe has rejected 17 October 2004 a national award by President Olusegun Obasanjo, attributing the decision to the 'dangerous' state of affairs in the country. Achebe, a professor of literature and author of the classic 'Things Fall Apart', which has sold more than 11 million copies in at least 50 countries, was nominated for the Commander of the Federal Republic award the week before. AFP PHOTO/FILES/PETER CUNLIFFE-JONES (Photo credit should read PETER CUNLIFFE-JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinua Achebe was born in Eastern Nigeria in 1930. He went to the local public schools and was among the first students to graduate from the University of Ibadan. After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation as a radio producer and Director of External Broadcasting, and it was during this period that he began his writing career.

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