Google celebrates “father of modern African literature” Achebe

On what would have been his 87th birthday, Google is paying its respects to Chinua Achebe on its homepage. 

Achebe’s influence on African literature is inestimable. He’s been described as the “father of modern African literature” with novels which projected Nigerian and African culture globally at a time when much of the continent was freshly free from the shackles of colonialism.

The literary icon passed away March 2013 in the United States of America, aged 82. 

The Nigerian author’s journey to literary greatness started with Things Fall Apart, his first book. Released nearly 60 years ago in 1958, it’s regarded as one of the most widely read books in Africa. It’s since been translated into fifty languages and has sold over ten million copies.

UCJ, UNILORIN.