Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Achebe set to release book on civil war

Agency Reporter


Fifty years after Nigeria's independence and 40 years after the end of the civil war, internationally acclaimed author, Prof. Chinua Achebe is expected to release an autobiographical account of the war, titled Reflections on the Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970, Empowered Newswire reports.


Prof. Chinua Achebe



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A statement released yesterday by his US-based medical doctor son, Dr. Chidi Achebe, said the book, which he described as "a major opus" would be out this year.

According to the statement, the book "will cover a chronological history of events that led to, occurred during, and took place immediately after one of the bloodiest wars in history that claimed about 2 million lives."

The statement added that because the work will be about Achebe's life "in the milieu of the tragedy, it will not be a strictly historical but autobiographical work. He envisions a book of over 300 pages."

Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a world class novel which had garnered several honours and recognitions. It was deemed one of the leading books of the century about a decade ago. The book has also sold millions worldwide and has been translated into several foreign languages as well.

Achebe's new book is expected to provide new insights as he was actually in the Biafran government service, where he embarked on a number of missions for Biafra to Europe, Africa and the Americas during the Nigerian civil war.

Several accounts of the war has been recorded and Achebe's writing is sure to recreate some of the major themes of the war, even as some of the controversial fallouts of the conflict are still alive today.

Achebe's book may also reignite some of the controversies surrounding the role and actions of some Nigerian leaders during the war, including political leaders and military rulers.

According to the statement, previous writings of the reknowned writer about this period have been in the form of short stories and award winning poetry that reflect his deep personal disappointment with what Nigeria became after independence.

A chapter in the book would also be dedicated to the famous poet, Christopher Okigbo, with whom Achebe in 1967, co-founded a publishing company at Enugu. Okigbo was killed during the civil war.

The statement concluded that "Many observers expect that this new book will be of immense universal literary, historical, and political significance. There are few Nigerian civilians more qualified to provide an insider's eye witness account of this conflict and many are waiting with bated breath to read Achebe's rendition of this war

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