Chinua Achebe, prominent Igbo writer, is famous for his novels describing the effects of Western customs and values on traditional African society. Achebe's satire and his keen ear for spoken language have made him one of the most highly esteemed African writers in English literature. He has obtained many awards and written many novels, and has also touched numerous lives. Raised in Nigeria, Chinua went to school and majored in English literature with the hope of enlightening the world about his experiences growing up.
Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born the son of Isaiah Okafo, a Christian churchman, and Janet N. Achebe November 16, 1930. He was born in Ogidi, an Igbo village near the Niger River under British Rule. His parents were devoted Christians, and his father worked as a teacher of the Church Missionary Society (Things Fall Apart xxi). After a few months his parents baptized him and gave him the Christian name Albert, after Prince Albert. As a child Chinua was taught to look down on his fellow tribe members who practiced the traditional faith. Nonetheless, he was fascinated with the customs and traditions of his non-Christian neighbors and went to their ceremonies and festivals despite the fact his parents forbid him to do so. (World Book 26) .
Chinua later went to the University College of Ibaden, where he studied English, theology, and history. In 1944 he attended Government College in Umuahia. This school was known for fabricating such writers as Wole Soyinka, Eleche Amadi, John Okigbo, John Pepper Clarke, and Cole Omotso (Kirjatso). In 1953 he graduated with a BA. .
Before joining the Nigerian Broadcasting Company in Lagos in 1954 he traveled in Africa and America, and worked for a short time as a teacher. After going to London in 1956 he was invited back to Nigeria for the position of Controller of Eastern Region Satiations. Things Fall Apart was Achebe's first novel in 1958.
