nsiadi: @ Bayooooo

idk if u are really interested in knowing how Achebe`s Things Fall Apart has influenced the world
u may get facts from these links. Let me know if u need more to get to the real facts of this great book that continues to inspire

http://www.bard.edu/mat/fieldnotes/archive.php?aid=805&pid=67
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/ua-achebes-things-fall-apart-teaching-through-novel
http://users.ipfw.edu/ruflethe/Chinua%20Achebe%20and%20the%20Invention%20of%20African%20Culture.pdf
http://thadra-petkus.suite101.com/literary-elements-in-achebes-things-fall-apart-a121075
http://www.enotes.com/things-fall-apart/discuss/achebes-things-fall-apart-101-117969

No point educating someone who deliberately became unteachable because of muted tribal sentiments.
@bayooooo cannot see beyond his tribal glasses.

@bayooooo, u can laugh in swahili for all I care.

Your hating of African best is so glaring obvious simply because he is not Yoruba. kai!

The biggest fear of the Nobel Prize Committee is not in awarding the Nobel Prize for Literature to Prof. Chinua Achebe.
One can sense that their biggest fear is the Prof. Achebe is quite renowned for his unpredictability as much as his Things Fall Apart.

I am sure the Nobel Prize Committee sense that if ever the Prize is awarded to Prof. Achebe, there is a 50-50 chance that he will snub the award, just to spite the committee.

So, it's better to bear the ignominy of not recognizing and rewarding Prof. Achebe's work than the discredit that a snub from Prof. Achebe will do to the Nobel Prize Committee.

Prof. Chinua Achebe is a very stubborn, self-content man who is never swayed by public recognition, thus his refusal to associate with successive Nigerian governments despite several nominations of honour and his penchant of rebuking any perceived slight to African heritage by his foreign counterparts

bayooooooo:

You keep confusing issue. I have not said Things Fall Apart is not a masterpiece, for your information, I have read the book about twenty time. but my contention is the fact that the book is being exaggerated and the author overrated. Bible is translated to Chinese but how many chinese are christians, how many chinese read bible?

That a book is translated to another language does not depict wide acceptance in such a language. I can write a nonsense book and called a group of language experts to translate same to other languages so far as I am able to foot the bill.That's all. In how many of such countries is Things Fall Apart on the school curriculum to help us measure the depth of the so called appreciation and acceptability?

That Achebe is great is obviously not in question. But the line between great and greatest in this case is not blur, it's well defined and as such Achebe is not the greatest.

Try writing a book. Talk is cheap.

bayooooooo:

I am happy we are moving away from insults and now discussing the real issue, the artistic value of the book, what makes it appealing amd what's there for all or others to assess or learn.

There is nothing wrong in saying you are the best if you are truly the best.It's not arrogance, it's not pride. Let other come forward and dispute it. But everything is wrong if you claim to be the best while you are not and as such I give it to him for keeping mute. He is not the best but one of the very best.

Now the Quaran is as nearly translated as the Bible, does that mean the artistic value of the two books are great? If someone writes a chemistry textbook that all students are willing to buy and read, does that make the professor an accomplished one or deserving of being the best chemistry professor? [/b]It takes much more than that and we all know it.

The hype of the book is based on the number of languages it has been translated to and I mentioned speeches that can get translated within minutes without having any artistic value to correct the erroneous impression that translation depicts the strength of the novel. Same thing is applicable to the bible, it gets translated not because of it's artistic or literary excellence but primarily driven by the content, [b]the so called message from God. Achebe's book translation is driven by the content or the so called story of colonialism in Africa not as a result of it being a literary excellence piece that must be read by all aspiring potential literary minds.

I don't write books, there is no point to proof to anyone. If Things Fall Apart had been written in Igbo, obscurity would have masked it as well. So it's not a big deal.

To the first bolded statement, who is the best? No idea? Hater
To the second, their artistic value are excellent despite the religious following. I have read both.
To the Chemistry comparison, yes, it will really count to making the Prof, the best. Do u read yr arguments at all. Yr hating has depth.
You mentioned speeches that will be translated by TV, BlackBerries, internet, social networks. See how you lie to yourself
Please the Bible is not a 'so called message from God'. It is the message from God.

Try writing a book in English. I bet you will not sell enough to pay your Publisher. And yes, Things Fall Apart is written in Igbo. The hard part was translating the scores of Igbo proverbs, riddles and hyperboles to English.

I am sure no writer has ever emerged from your genealogy. You can redeem that image by putting your energy used in discrediting masterpieces to writing a 3-page literary piece.
Classic case of bad belle

bayooooooo:

Now what's he scope of influence in Africa? What's he influencing or controlling? Many patently laughable lists keep coming out and of course because we are heroes seeking people, we take them without rationalization.

What's the big deal in refusing awards? Gani refused national honours, Gbajabiamila refused the same dishonour termed national honours. It's not a big deal. Even, Jean-Paul Sartre refused or declined the Nobel prize. Now the so called African Finest has not even been given the highest literary award and yet you called him all sorts of deified names? At the last counts, four African personalities have won this award and yet your so called finest, so called greatest, so called best known has not even been able to get it?

OH, I understand, the Nobel Committee are also envious of Igbo. They are also willing to condemn anything Igbo and they are oblivious of the fact that the book has been translated to several languages. I laugh no be small.

Mahatma Gandhi never won the Nobel Prize for Peace despite being the strongest symbol of non-violence in the 20th century. This omission or commission by the Nobel Committee haunts their coveted reputation till this day.

Things Fall Apart's continuous accolade and rating till today is a spite on the nose of the Nobel Committee and the Nobel Prize for Literature.

What is most noble about the author is that he lets others do the talking for him. He has never revelled publicly in his work.

@bayooooo, And yes, the greatness of a book is well measured by how many languages and cultures that it is translated to. This is one of the reasons the Bible is a best-seller today, from Hebrew to Aramaic, from Greek to Roman, English to French, Igbo to Yoruba, etc. Ths is an undisputable measure of success.

I cannot attempt to translate a book from English to French for instance if is it is not a very very very hot property, as in ogbono feli feli!! If a book does not make impact in English language (as in a power-slam impact), how less it will in another, not to talk of 60 languages!
60 languages and still counting shows its wide appreciation even from people who do not appreciate African culture.

Your attempt to discredit the book by comparing its spread to that of war speeches or bomb statements only reflects your deep resentments for the accomplishments of your fellow country man. Books are not speeches and this book was written at a time when access to new age media, internet, mobile phones, Tweeter, Facebook et al did not exist, yet it spread like wild fire!
The so-called war speech or bomb threat will spread because of the new age media simple.
So, compare Apple with Apple, Book for Book.

If you are still not convinced, try writing a book in Yoruba or English and let us see how many languages it will get to before obscurity gets to it first.

Darui:
I normally don't like to see my handle on threads that will surely lead to tribal bashing but seriously, dude, you have. Not. Read Things fall apart?

I have not my brother, a personal failure.

e don start.....

kayusfit: What is with this over hyped Achebe sef? I know all the bloody igbos will be worshiping him now that their coward ojukwu is rotting in hell presently. Things fall apart ko, things fall for ground ni. Many great scholars in yoruba land and yet we no dey make noise. his books should be burnt and he should be tied and shot dead.

Now, the insults will follow! Nairalanders ever energetic to pick-a-fight will jump at this offer.
Just in time with my popcorn and coke can.

But for once, can we ignore this fight?

kayusfit: What is with this over hyped Achebe sef? I know all the bloody igbos will be worshiping him now that their coward ojukwu is rotting in hell presently. Things fall apart ko, things fall for ground ni. Many great scholars in yoruba land and yet we no dey make noise. his books should be burnt and he should be tied and shot dead.

Oops! It has started already!!!!!!!
My post was one post late.

I am expecting a tribal war-of-words to erupt on this soon.
As Nigerians often let ethnic sentiments becloud their sense of judgments. Unnecessary comparisons will soon begin.
An yet, the man himself is silent as a grave on his own achievement.

On a personal level, I am sad that I have never read the book.