Achebe has been called "the father of modern African writing and many books and essays have been written about his work over the past 5 decades. In 1992 he became the first living author to be represented
in the Everyman's Library collection published by Alfred A. Knopf. His 60th birthday was celebrated at the University of Nigeria, by "an international Who's Who in African Literature". An observer after the event
noted: "Nothing like it had ever happened before in African literature
anywhere on the continent."Achebe will be remembered for turning down the federal Government's offer to honor him with national award 'Commander of the Federal republic in 2004 and 2011 stating:
"I have watched particularly the chaos in my own state of Anambra where a small clique of renegades, openly boasting its connections in high places, seems determined to turn my homeland into a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom. I am appalled by the brazenness of this clique and the silence, if not connivance, of the Presidency"Achebe's novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of Western and traditional African values during and after the colonial era. His style focuses on the Igbo oral tradition, and combines straightforward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He has also published a number of short stories, children's books, and essay collections. Since 2009, he has been a professor at Brown University in the United States.
He died at the age of 82.
