₦airaland Forum

It is not really fair to compare Soyinka and Achebe. But looking at the kind of awards they have received and the way they are perceived in local and international limelight, one has no option than to say Soyinka is more well known([I]please note I did not say greater[/I])

Soyinka has been a vocal critic of bad governments, he is vociferous in any cause he supports,he is a nobel laureate, he has courted controversies in his prime with the issue of Pyrates, his pro-Biafra stance and holding up a radio station.Many motorists would remember him for his Road Safety campaigns, he likes making an impression, his style of writing is wel to say the least a complex (I had a hard time following [I]The Interpreters[/I]...he is classy-let's give him that

Achebe on the other hand is quieter, he makes contributions to National issues when necessary (the recent being the rejection of a national merit award), he is the typical still water that runs deep. He has the ability to connect with his audience with his simple style of writing and plots ... some feel he should have been a nobel laureate too, which I think I agree with.

As you can see greatness is perhaps depends on a person's point of view.