ISBN 9781940729121
Pages 264
Dimensions 229 x 152mm
Published 2014
Publisher African Heritage Press, Nigeria
Format Paperback

Remembering a Legend: Chinua Achebe

by Ernest N. Emenyonu, Charles E. Nnolim

Remembering a Legend: Chinua Achebe recaptures for the literary world the inimitable legacies of Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), Africa's leading novelist and literary philosopher of the 20th century. It addresses the questions of Achebe's role in establishing the African art of the novel, his theories and standards for the criticism of African writing. The volume articulates unequivocally how Achebe provided the message and pioneered a confident voice to African writers to express the message with audacity; repudiate without equivocation, any form of distortions of African past and present realities. The essays remind the reader how Achebe brought to the field of world literature new perspectives and vitality that distinguished the African art of storytelling from imaginative creativities elsewhere.

This volume presents Achebe's articulation of the traditional and modern in African narrative techniques-linking the skills of the traditional artist (oral performer) to those of the modern writer; how the modern African creative artist can embellish his/her art with oral resources such as folktales, proverbs, sayings, festivals, songs, riddles, and myths. Chinua Achebe's unique distinctions as a novelist lie in the areas of informed vision and artistic integrity. His greatest legacy to 20th century world literature probably is his pioneer role in the 'nativization' and ingenious use of the English language. The exceptional genius of Achebe touched many traditional and cultural bases in his fiction, essays, and memoirs. The critical responses to Achebe's works in this book, address adequately almost every aspect of his creative imagination and craftsmanship. The reader will find in this convenient volume several seminal studies by two eminent scholars of Achebe's intriguing genius that authenticate him as among the best literary craftsmen of the 20th century and undeniably Africa's best.

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About the Authors

Ernest N. Emenyonu

ERNEST N. EMENYONU is a professor of Africana Studies at the University of Michigan-Flint. A specialist in African Literature, he has taught African Literature in institutions of higher learning in Nigeria and the United States, and published extensively in the field. His other children’s books include a series, Bedtime Stories For African Children. He has also published a collection of short stories, Tales of Our Motherland. He is the Editor of African Literature Today.

Charles E. Nnolim

Charles Nnolim is Professor of English, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Fellow of the Literary Society of Nigeria, Fellow of the International Biographical Association, and Fellow of the World Literary Academy

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