InvertedHammer: Any writer whose work is so important to be translated into 50 languages is simply the best.

Am not surprised because Africans will never appreciate their owns.

The problem with WS is that he wants to be more English than the English--a typical African mentality.

He is trying so hard to attach importance to Nobel Prize which is what Academy Award is to movies.

Let WS come up with something that will be translated to 10 languages only and I will give him the attention he so much

desires. For one, he is a Shakespeare wanna be and lacks originality.

you have just said nothing!

babyosisi:

You quoted me talking about the nobel referencing peace prize and then tell me it s about the peace prize
Huh
Does the thought of politiiing any if their awards alone not put a dent in the whole award?
That is te point here

I just told him he was lost yet he still finds it hard to understand.

Crayola1:

We are talking about real movies not backyard productions.

Do think it was produced by your brothers in Alaba market? It is 15 years older than Things Fall Apart.

Obiagu1: @ TouchDown

I just asked my cousin and he said: "MacBeth I know, Achebe I know, JP Clark I know but who is Soyinka?".

As your brother's keeper, you should have asked him who/what is Macbeth in the context of Achebe and Clark...

BluIvy:

I am sure these people are asking these questions raght now about the so called " Father of African literature" . Very funny

Unfortunately, more countries are asking for Achebe's work to be translated to their local languages so that millions of their citizens will read the amazing work of Africa Greatest Writer, the Father of African Literature.

50 languages and counting...

4watever:

You are not doing too badly yourself.

Me?

I haven't had English classes since I left sec. school. I studied sciences.

Thanks, anyway.

It Is hard to find a high school or college student in the USA who hasn't read or will not read Things fall apart as a required text
It is a required text in Nigeria and most African countries
It has been translated into 50 languages and read the world over
I strongly believe the estimated figure of over 10 million copies is highly under calculated
It has to be more than that
Nigeria alone must have more than that number in circulation

Ola Johnson:
Do think it was produced by your brothers in Alaba market? It is 15 years older than Things Fall Apart.

Still a backyard production dear.

Made with a nokia phone I bet lmao

TouchDown:

As your brother's keeper, you should have asked him who/what is Macbeth in the context of Achebe and Clark...

Nigerians tried, they wanted more African/Nigerian work in the curriculum but they found Soyinka's work very absurd and they had to replace him with a foreigner.
Drama: Shakespeare
Prose: Achebe
Poetry: JP Clark

babyosisi: It Is hard to find a high school or college student in the USA who hasn't read or will not read Things fall apart as a required text
I strongly believe the estimated figure of over 10 million copies is highly under calculated

I read it in AP English in HS and again in College.

Its the go to book in the US.

I'm sure Chimanda Adichie won't say the Booker Int'l Prize is political like she did say on the Nobel Laureate. I pity this girl who lies like Chinua Achebe, only that does this by saying 'my uncle said.'

Ola Johnson: I'm sure Chimanda Adichie won't say the Booker Int'l Prize is political like she did say on the Nobel Laureate. I pity this girl who lies like Chinua Achebe, only that does this by saying 'my uncle said.'

Are you deranged? You've said this before have you already forgotten?

Ok next time she will say your uncle said

Crayola1:

I read it in AP English in HS and again in College.

Its the go to book in the US.

I re-read the book some years ago,you cannot imagine the number of strangers that told me they read it
When I carried around his memoir and read,I had people tell me they read his things fall apart in high school
It s a great feeling to see Americans acknowledge a celebrated author from Nigeria rather than talk about the 419 gang on the evening news
And here people want to belittle the book because tribalism gets the better part of them
Most of them can't make a point coherent enough for an ordinary nairaland "thank you" from any intelligent poster , let alone write an acceptable article for a backyard newspaper

CHinua was 28 or 29 years old when he wrote Things fall apart as a hobby and thought to have it published
He didn't set out to be famous
But the book brought him fame and fortune and exposed the world to African literature like never before
That is a big deal
Anyone trying to downplay it is foolish

RIP to the father of African literature

Obiagu1:

Unfortunately, more countries are asking for Achebe's work to be translated to their local languages so that millions of their citizens will read the amazing work of Africa Greatest Writer, the Father of African Literature.

50 languages and counting...

Hehehe! Igbos and their creative mouths, at first it was 15 now 50.

Source please or just mention one language that it was translated to except English which it was written in. Just one!

You people cannot continue claiming things with your mouth with no action to match that other wise you are history!

Obiagu1:


Nigerians tried, they wanted more African/Nigerian work in the curriculum but they found Soyinka's work very absurd and they had to replace him with a foreigner.
Drama: Macbeth
Prose: Achebe
Poetry: JP Clark

Chinua Achebe target audience are children, just like you whereas Wole Soyinka's is the learned adults which you are far from, hence your misunderstanding this interview since the last 24 hours.

Obiagu1:


Nigerians tried, they wanted more African/Nigerian work in the curriculum but they found Soyinka's work very absurd and they had to replace him with a foreigner.
Drama: Macbeth
Prose: Achebe
Poetry: JP Clark

I assumed you knew better than your cousin. Who/what is Macbeth? What books did he write?

LOL.


Its obvious many people here are not even avid or even average followers of literature. Most of us have picked our sides based mainly on ethnic affiliation.

My biggest surprise was to found out how competitive the Igbos and Yoruba are through Nairaland, always trying to prove the other is superior. In real life, I hardly noticed this or is it because this is unanimous forum. It is really an unpleasant surprise to me and this really shows this country is not united at all.

BluIvy:

Hehehe! Igbos and their creative mouths, at first it was 15 now 50.

Source please or just mention one language that it was translated to except English which it was written in. Just one!

You people cannot continue claiming things with your mouth with no action to match that other wise you are history!

"Things Fall Apart has been translated into 50 languages "

http://africasacountry.com/2013/03/22/chinua-achebe-the-writer-lives-on/

…

TouchDown:

As your brother's keeper, you should have asked him who/what is Macbeth in the context of Achebe and Clark...

Bro., the "Macbeth" bit got me ROTFL...

Obiagu1 has never been the smartest tool in the shed, literally.

I bet the guy didn't read the interview. The only thing he cares about is the: "Father of African Literature."


Well, Wole Soyinka can't be compared to "Okonkwo" as well.

TouchDown:

I assumed you knew better than your cousin. Who/what is Macbeth? What books did he write?

LOL.


Its obvious many people here are not even avid or even average followers of literature. Most of us have picked our sides based mainly on ethnic affiliation.

Are you really OK?

TouchDown:

I assumed you knew better than your cousin. Who/what is Macbeth? What books did he write?

LOL.


Its obvious many people here are not even avid or even average followers of literature. Most of us have picked our sides based mainly on ethnic affiliation.

Hahaha! Funny indeed! People are getting exposed. Hahaha

Obiagu1:

Are you really OK?

Macbeth was a character in a book by William Shakespeare.

I bet in your mind "Okonkwo" was also greater than WS, no? bwhahahahahahaha

Dayokanu: laugh wan make me slap bokoharam

^^^^FML!!!!

Crayola1:

Are you deranged? You've said this before have you already forgotten?

Ok next time she will say your uncle said

Certain things need to be repeated to carry low thinking pupils like you in the class along. I don't know why it is difficult, more than 24 hours after this interview was posted, for you to understand.

shymexx:

Macbeth was a character in a book by William Shakespeare.

Oh, laughing so hard. Corrected.

Ola Johnson:
Certain things need to be repeated to carry low thinking pupils like you in the class along. I don't know why it is difficult, more than 24 hours after this interview was posted, for you to understand.

You said all that to say nothing at all

Obiagu1:

"Things Fall Apart has been translated into 50 languages "

http://africasacountry.com/2013/03/22/chinua-achebe-the-writer-lives-on/

An interesting sentence there is and I quote

Things Fall Apart has been translated into 50 languages – how many of them are African languages? How many of the translations are in a Nigerian language?

We should be ashamed that the book is not in any Nigerian language including Igbo or is it?
That is a big shame

BluIvy:

Hahaha! Funny indeed! People are getting exposed. Hahaha

You too lol you asked what languages Things Fall Apart was in and was too lazy to use simple google

Crayola1:

You too lol you asked what languages Things Fall Apart was in and was too lazy to use simple google

Lol

.

ayox2003:

Honestly, his points are flawless. Come-to-think-of-it, if civilisation started in Egypt- which is now africa- before the birth of Christ, then its very senseless to say the "Father of African Literature" died in 2013. Makes african literature assume a toddler stage. Even Igbo literature has been way before the birth of Achebe but the fact that we africans are poor record keepers made our past heroes and giant disappear into oblivion.

For a thing, Achebe did excellently well in his chosen field but saying he's the Father of those who passed his culture to him makes it very watery. Plus, because it was written in a whitemans language makes it "un-african".

Achebe is definitely the most popular writer but Father? Shove it.



Frawzey

Yes it is possible that there were people that came before Achebe. But the fact of it all is that Achebe popularized and brought to the world stage African Literature. Infact Achebe created in the first instance what is known as African Literature. This is because before him came, people like Joseph Conrad had written off Africa as savages and wild dungeon until Achebe intervened and gave to the world what is known today as the African Literature. This is how Achebe came to be known world wide as the Father of Modern African Literature.

babyosisi:

An interesting sentence there is and I quote



We should be ashamed that the book is not in any Nigerian language including Igbo
That is a big shame

No need to be in any Nigerian language. This thread shows that Nigerians don't treasure or have an appreciation of what they have so why waste good ink and paper