Thoughts on the African novel by Chinua Achebe summary
Thoughts on the African novel
- Chinua Achebe
Thoughts on the African novel is a speech given by Chinua Achebe in a conference on the African literature, at Dalhousie University. Later, it was published as an essay in Dalhousie Radio. Chinua Achebe is one of the most prominent and well known African writers. So, he was invited to speak about African writers
and the English language. He refused at first. Finally, he accepted the invitation to Share his thoughts on the African novel.
Once Achebe and his colleagues at a writers conference held many years ago in makerere, Uganda tried to define African Literature. But their attempts were futile waste. Later Achebe pronoun that African literature would define itself in action. The number of
not underateina day, while an hour of light semaine. Though sil
African literature is a late starter, ithas proved in this world
The first thing Achebe Speake about is that African novel has to be- account Africa. He say,
Africa is not only an geographical
TouLA
landscapebut a perception perceived by the whole world about Africans wod. Achebe, compared Africans to Jews. Because, being an African or being abouffefew isreallya/t1kriov a plang different task. It has more penalties.
than benefits Achebe" ( Novella comments) on
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness This work is about African and we can consider this work ar African literature. but Joseph Conrad remains
an Englishmen although he writes about
Africane Then, he speaks about African Languages spoken by African and a language in which Africans write to justify their identity. 12
Achebe say at the rock of all these ideas , there lies on historical fact, that writers from Equiano to EkwenBi both are famous Nigerian Writers Debout the
enslavement of African to Europeans the Colonial period. Because, all of them were obssessedpoodandro
pre occupied with the presence of Europe in their mind. So their works were all about slavery and Their protest. But the newity spring broad minded writers assured new kind of Lacise theory that " Africa Is evil , Africa isthe heart of darkness, and is bounds to vialence.
But Achebe considered these ideas were mere illusions which dead the writers to a delf to disguise. These kind of idear aming African were like cutting their own throat to please others. Achebe days it is totally obscured and disgusting. For instance he comments a Nigewan academic as an example. That man was from
Nigeria and he went to study
in Britain Jaterdettled there
he becomes an English man, Many years later, he refused to return to Nigeria toteach at a Nigerian university. He boast that he was an English man. Achebe Considers there kind of people as hypocrites He says, African writers shouldnot have this kind of warped vision about their country. The writer should never hesitate to dealthe problems of their own countries in their works.
bio Further Achebe quotes Some passage from Eldered sone's work.
" The essential Soyinka" and
Introduction to Nigerian literature of course Achebe accepts eldered
Jones a one of The finest
literary icholas and critics of
Africa. In former work eldered , Jones appreciated Soyinka, for
problem onthe other hand. In the later work, he said soyinka talks for universal addience not universal problem. Eldered, Jones created a prejudical has about Africans by putting
opinion the word Africa in quatation.
Achebe questions why eldered on
Joner has universalism and not bevorg rtA
Africa favoural in particular d of But there are Some writers like EKWenBi, in his work " Burning Grows has drawntrue and original Nigerian Characters. "AChebe, has cited, yet another scexample from Ali Mazuari's
The trial of christopher OKigbo', can
African character perry Mason Speaks that a great artist was first of all an individualist a universalist and only thirdly a docial collectist, Achebe asserts that African writen works"must be about , individualism first ,and then universalism. LONES once a curic said there is
no African novel. because hevel was invented in England. But Achebe says,
African- writers have proved themselves to be creative writers and do created wonderful novels and proved
the existence, of African nevels and
ow sid ni
African literature.
Y Fifteen years ago, Nigerian and university ivasaid that" uwould be a day when English literature ist taught from Chaucer to Achebe
Leut now, some cozy corner of the globe, which is the developed nations, were teaching more Achebe that Chaucer. African literature has turned intoa seperate discipline in many universities of European countries.
karionce, a student of Achebe commented that camera Laye's works "The Kadiance of the King is a great African novel . Achebe admirer that woork. but still he
referedgreat toAfricanbelieve novel. that because work to?
be a is about a disreputalic that novel
European . Achebe Strongly opines that "A Great African novel must be about an African Their he feels, African novell must deat individual problems of Africa, and then about
universal problems. Their, he believe, that African novel will grow and prosper and it will have a great future.
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