Chinua Achebe Receives George Ma

At the 10^th Anniversary of Northern Virginia’s oldest literary celebration last week, George Mason University, presented an award to Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian novelist, poet and critic whose book “Things Fall Apart” has earned worldwide readership and profoundly influenced several generations of African novelists. The Mason Award celebrates an author whose body of work has made extraordinary contributions to bringing literature to a wide reading public. On Monday, Sept. 22, Achebe read from his work and accepted the award.

According to William Miller, Executive Director of the Festival, “this year marks the 50th anniversary of Chinua Achebe’s phenomenally successful first novel, which seems the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate the connections he’s made with readers around the globe and to recognize his lifelong commitment to younger writers and the world of literature." “Fall for the Book also commemorates a milestone in 2008 — its 10th annual festival. Welcoming such a distinguished author to this year’s program speaks to our continuing growth as a one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most significant cultural venues — and we look toward even more ambitious programming in our next decade,” Miller added.

"Things Fall Apart," originally written in English, tells the tragic story of Okonkwo, a tribal leader in Nigeria’s Ibo community, in the years just before and just after the arrival of Christian missionaries and British colonialism. Through one man’s story, the novel examines several generations of Nigerian life, depicts the clash of cultures old and new and explores the future of both nation and continent. With more than eight million copies printed in English worldwide and other editions published in more than 50 languages, "Things Fall Apart" has become the world’s most widely read African novel.

Achebe’s other novels include "No Longer at Ease" (1960), "Arrow of God" (1964), "A Man of the People" (1966) and "Anthills of the Savannah" (1987). He has written several volumes of poetry, beginning with “Beware, Soul Brother,” a 1971 collection written in response to the Nigerian Civil War, and most recently including his "Collected Poems" in 2000. Among his notable nonfiction is the controversial 1975 essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's ‘Heart of Darkness,’" and his children’s books include "Chike and the River," which addressed racism in depictions of African life. Achebe served from 1962-1972 as the general editor of the African Writers Series, a British publishing initiative that introduced post-colonial African writers to the world, and he helped found three literary magazines while teaching at the University of Nigeria. Achebe has also taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and he is currently the Charles P. Stevenson Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

In addition to Achebe, Fall for the Book’s 2008 festival features a wide array of nationally and internationally famous writers, including novelists and short story writers Richard Bausch, Charles Baxter, Sue Miller and Benjamin Percy; poets C.K. Williams and Kyle Dargan; and journalist and memoirist Scott Huler, among others.

Fall for the Book took place Sunday, Sept. 21, through Friday, Sept. 26, on Mason’s Fairfax, Va., campus and at select venues throughout Northern Virginia. All events were free and open to the public.

Fall for the Book was presented by the Fairfax County Public Library, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and George Mason University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Office of University Life, in partnership with WJLA-TV ABC 7, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, The Fairfax County Public Library Foundation, the City of Fairfax, ExxonMobil, the Friends of the Fairfax City Regional Library, Friends of the George Mason Library, Friends of the Reston Regional Library, the Claude Moore Foundation, CompuTech, Dominion Virginia Power, Harper Wealth Management, Hunton & Williams, Northern Virginia Magazine, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Potomac Bank of Virginia and the George Mason University Business Alliance.

George Mason University, located in the heart of Northern Virginia’s technology corridor near Washington, D.C., is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. With strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering, information technology, biotechnology and health care, Mason prepares its alumni to succeed in the workforce and meet the needs of the region and the world. Mason professors conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology and the biosciences, and Mason’s Center for the Arts brings world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage. Its School of Law is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top 50 law schools in the United States.

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Reach African Pros

Newspaper Sites

Send mail to editor@africaninterest.net with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2007 LANDMARK COMMUNICATION NETWORK SERVICES Last modified: 10/13/08

Send mail to editor@africaninterest.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2007 LANDMARK COMMUNICATION NETWORK SERVICES
Last modified: 10/13/08