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第7回（1975年 第3回開催） Winner
Chinua Achebe
チヌア・アチェベ
Chinua Achebe
ペンネーム:
Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe（Baptismal name / full legal name）
プロフィール
- 性別
- 男性
- 生誕
- 1930-11-16 （Ogidi, Colonial Nigeria）
- 死没
- 2013-03-21 （Boston, Massachusetts, United States） 82歳
- 国籍
- Nigerian
- 言語
- English, Igbo
- 宗教
- Protestant (influence of Church Mission Society) 1930年受洗 （洗礼名: Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe）
- 居住地歴
- Ogidi (birth and childhood) → Ibadan (university) → Lagos (work and literary activity) → Enugu → Biafra region (wartime relocations) → United States (UMass Amherst, Bard College, Brown University) → Nsukka, Nigeria (University of Nigeria)
経歴
- 職業
- novelist, poet, critic, professor, editor, broadcaster
- 活動期間
- 1950年〜2013年
- 所属
- Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS), Involved in creation of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), General Editor, Heinemann African Writers Series, Professor at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst, Professor at Bard College (Charles P. Stevenson Professorship), Professor at Brown University (Africana Studies)
- 所属団体
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (honorary)
- 影響を受けた人物
- Igbo oral tradition, Joyce Cary (Mister Johnson inspired Achebe to become a writer), Western literature (critical engagement with Joseph Conrad and others)
- 影響を与えた人物
- Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Flora Nwapa, Toni Morrison (has stated Achebe inspired her), Generations of modern African writers
学歴
| 学校 | 学部 | 学科 | 学位 | 期間 | 国 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University College (now University of Ibadan) | English, History and Theology (initially admitted to study Medicine) | English | Second-class degree | 1948–1953 | Nigeria |
University College (now University of Ibadan)
English, History and Theology (initially admitted to study Medicine)
/ English
学位:
Second-class degree
期間:
1948–1953
卒業年:
1953
国:
Nigeria
Admitted to study medicine on a bursary but switched to English, history and theology
受賞歴
| 年 | 賞名 | 対象作品 | 部門 | 主催 | 結果 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Commonwealth Poetry Prize | — | — | Commonwealth Foundation | winner |
| 1960 | Nigerian National Trophy for Literature | — | — | Government of Nigeria | winner |
| 1979 | Nigerian National Order of Merit | — | — | Government of Nigeria | winner |
| 1979 | Order of the Federal Republic | — | — | Government of Nigeria | recipient |
| 1982 | Honorary Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Letters | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | honorary fellow |
| 1999 | St. Louis Literary Award | — | — | St. Louis Literary Award (Saint Louis) | winner |
| 2002 | Peace Prize of the German Book Trade | — | — | German Book Trade (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels) | winner |
| 2007 | Man Booker International Prize | For his body of work / lifetime achievement | — | Man Booker Foundation | winner |
| 2010 | The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize | — | — | The Gish Prize Foundation | winner |
| 1999 | UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador | — | — | United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) | appointed |
Commonwealth Poetry Prize
1972
主催:
Commonwealth Foundation
結果:
winner
Nigerian National Trophy for Literature
1960
主催:
Government of Nigeria
結果:
winner
Nigerian National Order of Merit
1979
主催:
Government of Nigeria
結果:
winner
Order of the Federal Republic
1979
主催:
Government of Nigeria
結果:
recipient
Honorary Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
1982
主催:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
結果:
honorary fellow
St. Louis Literary Award
1999
主催:
St. Louis Literary Award (Saint Louis)
結果:
winner
Peace Prize of the German Book Trade
2002
主催:
German Book Trade (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels)
結果:
winner
Man Booker International Prize
2007
対象作品:
For his body of work / lifetime achievement
主催:
Man Booker Foundation
結果:
winner
The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
2010
主催:
The Gish Prize Foundation
結果:
winner
UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador
1999
主催:
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
結果:
appointed
受賞・候補エディション
作品
代表作
Things Fall Apart
1958年 Novel (historical / cultural)Set in an Igbo village, the novel follows the rise and fall of yam-farmer Okonkwo amid the arrival of colonialism and Christian missionaries; a foundational work of modern African literature.
tradition vs colonialismcultural identitymasculinity and family
映像化・舞台化
- [Film] Things Fall Apart (film, 1970) (1970)
No Longer at Ease
1960年 NovelA novel about Obi, grandson of the protagonist of Things Fall Apart, depicting corruption and moral dilemmas in postcolonial Lagos.
urbanization and corruptionconflict between tradition and modernity
Arrow of God
1964年 NovelSet in the village of Umuaro, it tells the tragic story of Ezeulu, a chief priest, exploring tradition's collision with colonial authority.
religion and authoritycommunal vs individual tragedy
A Man of the People
1966年 Satirical novelA bleak satire set in an unnamed newly independent African state, targeting corruption and political decay.
political corruptionpost-independence turmoil
Anthills of the Savannah
1987年 NovelSet in the fictional nation of Kangan after a military coup, the novel examines power, speech and resistance; a late major work.
critique of powerlanguage and politics
全著作
- Things Fall Apart
- No Longer at Ease
- Arrow of God
- A Man of the People
- Anthills of the Savannah
- Chike and the River
- Beware, Soul Brother
- There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra
翻案
- 1970 Nigerian film adaptation of Things Fall Apart (long thought lost; materials rediscovered and exhibited decades later)
作風・主題
- 文体
- Use of Igbo oral-tradition storytelling and proverbsdirect, economical narrationtechnique of extending English to express African thought patterns
- 頻出モチーフ
- proverbsfolk tales / oral loreclash of tradition and modernitymasculinity vs femininity
健康
-
Paralysis from the waist down due to spinal injury (car accident)1990–2013After a 1990 car accident he sustained serious spinal injuries and used a wheelchair thereafter; he continued to write and teach.
評価・遺産
Chinua Achebe is regarded as a leading figure of modern African literature; Things Fall Apart is a canonical text. As a writer, editor and educator he influenced generations of writers and achieved international renown.
記念館・博物館
- Chinua Achebe Center (Bard College) Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, United States (Bard College) 2005年開館
- Chinua Achebe memorial bust (University of Nigeria, Nsukka) Nsukka, Nigeria (University of Nigeria) 2019年開館
関連学会
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (honorary)
資料所蔵先
- Archives and materials held at the Chinua Achebe Center, Bard College
- Manuscripts and correspondence held across university and public collections
大衆文化への影響
- Chinua Achebe Literary Festival (annual celebrations in Anambra and elsewhere)
- Rediscovery and exhibition of materials related to the film adaptation of Things Fall Apart (1970)
引用
-
For an African writing in English there are serious setbacks, but those who can extend the frontiers of English to accommodate African thought patterns must do so by mastery of the language.
出典: Essay: "English and the African Writer" (1965年) -
Heart of Darkness dehumanises Africans and, in my view, is racist in its depiction of Africa.
出典: Lecture: "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" (1975年)
豆知識
- Baptismal name: Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe.
- Things Fall Apart has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and has been translated into dozens of languages (sources often cite 57 languages).
- He declined a high Nigerian national honour in 2004 for political reasons.