Achebe, Chinua

Japanese: アチェベ（英語表記）Achebe, Chinua

Born November 16, 1930 in Ogidi, British Protectorate of Nigeria.
[Died] March 21, 2013, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. A Nigerian writer of Igbo origin. Full name: Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. One of the leading writers of 20th century African literature. Written in English. His father was a pastor and a missionary school teacher. He completed secondary and high school in his hometown of Umuahia, and studied medicine at the University of Ibadan, and later literature, history, and religious studies. In 1954, he joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, where he was in charge of international broadcasting until 1966, during which time he published many works. His early tetralogy, Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), and A Man of the People (1966), are said to have sold a total of 10 million copies. These works vividly depict the experiences of Nigeria from the Nigerian perspective, from the mid-19th century just before the colonial period to the present day after independence. In particular, "The Breakdown of the Tribes" is said to have created the prototype for modern African novels, and had a profound influence on subsequent writers. During the 1967-70 Biafran War, she sided with Biafra in opposition to the federal government, and temporarily gave up writing. Later, based on her war experiences, she published a collection of poems, "Beware, Soul Brother and Other Poems" (1971), and a collection of short stories, "Girls at War and Other Stories" (1972). After 1972, she moved to the United States, but returned to Japan temporarily in 1976. She was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in the 1960s, and gave many lectures around the world. Her style is characterized by cultural contact and the clash of values between Europe and Africa, and many of her works have been translated into foreign languages. He has written collections of essays such as Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975) and Hopes and Impediments (1988), as well as children's literature. His most recent work is the novel Anthills of the Savannah (1987), which won the Booker International Prize in 2007.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1930.11.16. イギリス保護領ナイジェリア，オギディ
[没]2013.3.21. アメリカ合衆国，マサチューセッツ，ボストン
ナイジェリアのイボ族出身の作家。フルネーム Albert Chinualumogu Achebe。20世紀アフリカ文学を代表する作家の一人。英語で執筆。父は牧師でミッションスクール教師だった。地元のウムアヒアで中等学校，高等学校を終え，イバダン大学で医学，のちに文学，歴史，宗教学を学んだ。1954年ナイジェリア放送協会に入り，1966年まで国際放送を担当，その間に多くの作品を発表した。『部族崩壊』Things Fall Apart（1958），『もはや安楽なし』No Longer at Ease（1960），『神の矢』Arrow of God（1964），『国民の中の男』A Man of the People（1966）は初期四部作とされるもので，合計 1000万部を売ったといわれる。これらの作品では，植民地期直前の 19世紀半ばから独立後の現代までのナイジェリアの経験が，ナイジェリア人の側から克明に描かれる。特に『部族崩壊』は現代アフリカ小説の原型をつくったといわれ，その後の作家たちに深い影響を与えた。1967～70年のビアフラ戦争では，連邦政府と対立したビアフラ側に立ち，一時創作を断念した。その後，この戦争体験をもとに詩集『心に銘記せよ，魂魄と化した同朋よ』Beware, Soul Brother and Other Poems（1971），短編集『戦場の女たち』Girls at War and Other Stories（1972）を出した。1972年以降はアメリカ合衆国へ渡るが，1976年に一時帰国。1960年代からノーベル賞候補になっており，世界各地での講演活動も多かった。ヨーロッパとアフリカの文化接触や価値観の衝突を特徴とした作風で，外国語に翻訳された作品も多い。『未だ創造の日の朝』Morning Yet on Creation Day（1975），『希望と障害』Hopes and Impediments（1988）などの評論集のほか，児童文学も手がけた。最近作は小説『サバンナの蟻塚』Anthills of the Savannah（1987）。2007年ブッカー国際賞を受賞した。

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