Den verdenskendte nigerianske forfatter, Chinua Achebe, er død efter kort tids sygdom. Han blev 82. Hans debutbog “Things Fall Apart” fra 1958 solgte alene over 10 millioner eksemplarer.
Achebe, one of Africa’s best known authors, had been living in the US since 1990 following serious injuries from a car crash, BBC online reports Friday.
The writer and academic wrote more than 20 works – some fiercely critical of politicians and a failure of leadership in Nigeria.
Nelson Mandela called him “the writer in whose company the prison walls came down”.
South African writer and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer called him the “father of modern African literature” in 2007 when she was among the judges to award him the Man Booker International Prize in honour of his literary career.
“Things Fall Apart” has been translated into more than 50 languages and focuses on the traditions of Igbo society and the clash between Western and traditional values.
Last year, Mr Achebe published a long-awaited memoir about the brutal three-year Biafran war – when the south-eastern Igbo region tried to split from Nigeria in 1967.
Udgivelser oversat til dansk
En mand af folket (Samleren 1968
Trives ej længere her (Samleren 1969)
Alt falder fra hinanden (Samleren 1986)
Som vinden blæser (Samleren 1988)
Se meget mere om ham på
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe
