Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebewas a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic. His first novel Things Fall Apartwas considered his magnum opus, and is the most widely read book in modern African literature...
NationalityNigerian
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth16 November 1930
CityOgidi, Nigeria
CountryNigeria
rising-up water thought-provoking
People say that if you find water rising up to your ankle, that's the time to do something about it, not when it's around your neck.
men thinking thought-provoking
In dealing with a man who thinks you are a fool, it is good sometimes to remind him that you know what he knows but have chosen to appear foolish for the sake of peace.
important failing values
It has always been quite apparent to me that no important story can fail to tell us something of value to us.
impression typing
When I was in England, I had seen advertisements about typing agencies; I had learned that if you really want to make a good impression, you should have your manuscript well typed.
slave trading
Poetry and slave trading cannot be bedfellows. That's where I stand.
racism humanity impossible
This is why I find racism impossible, because this is against humanity.
book thinking ask-me
If you ask me, Now, is it your best book? I would say, I don't really know. I wouldn't even want to say. And I'd even go on and say, I don't even think so.
writing accepting
What you must accept is that your life is not going to be the same while you are writing.
writing primitive pens
I'm very primitive; I write with a pen.
character
There must be areas in which a particular character does not represent you.
people praise critics
I don't praise my people. I am their greatest critic.
important be-kind neighbor
I know that an important message is not a novel. To say that we should all be kind to our neighbors is an important statement; it's not a novel.
thinking done world
I think once you have done all you can to a manuscript, let it find its way in the world.
reading struggle writing
When I'm writing, I really want to satisfy myself. I've got a story that I am working on and struggling with, and I want to tell it the most effective way I can. That's really what I struggle with. And the thought of who may be reading it may be there somewhere in the back of my mind - I'll never say it's not there because I don't know - but it's not really what I'm thinking about.