Home and Exile

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Winner of the Man Booker International Prize

More personally revealing than anything Achebe has written, Home and Exile—the great Nigerian novelist’s first book in more than ten years—is a major statement on the importance of stories as real sources of power, especially for those whose stories have traditionally been told by outsiders.

In three elegant essays, Achebe seeks to rescue African culture from narratives written about it by Europeans. Looking through the prism of his experiences as a student in English schools in Nigeria, he provides devastating examples of European cultural imperialism. He examines the impact that his novel Things Fall Apart had on efforts to reclaim Africa’s story. And he argues for the importance of writing and living the African experience because, he believes, Africa needs stories told by Africans.

“A master narrative.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Spare and moving. . . . The many admirers of Achebe’s fiction will find here a rare opportunity to glimpse a bit of the man behind the monumental novels.” —Chicago Tribune
© Don Hamerman
Chinua Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930. His first novel, Things Falls Apart, became a classic of international literature and required reading for students worldwide. He also authored four subsequent novels, two short-story collections, and numerous other books. He was the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University and, for more than 15 years, was the Charles P. Stevenson Jr. Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College. In 2007, Achebe was awarded the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement. He died in 2013. View titles by Chinua Achebe
  • WINNER | 2007
    Man Booker International Prize
"Eloquent. . . . Passionate. . . . Achebe's influence should go on and on . . . teaching and reminding us that all humankind is one."
--The Nation

"A master narrative."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Spare and moving... The many admirers of Achebe's fiction will find here a rare opportunity to glimpse a bit of the man behind the monumental novels."
--Chicago Tribune

"Soulful... A book that anyone concerned with advancing social justice and human dignity should read.
--The Seattle Times

About

Winner of the Man Booker International Prize

More personally revealing than anything Achebe has written, Home and Exile—the great Nigerian novelist’s first book in more than ten years—is a major statement on the importance of stories as real sources of power, especially for those whose stories have traditionally been told by outsiders.

In three elegant essays, Achebe seeks to rescue African culture from narratives written about it by Europeans. Looking through the prism of his experiences as a student in English schools in Nigeria, he provides devastating examples of European cultural imperialism. He examines the impact that his novel Things Fall Apart had on efforts to reclaim Africa’s story. And he argues for the importance of writing and living the African experience because, he believes, Africa needs stories told by Africans.

“A master narrative.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Spare and moving. . . . The many admirers of Achebe’s fiction will find here a rare opportunity to glimpse a bit of the man behind the monumental novels.” —Chicago Tribune

Author

© Don Hamerman
Chinua Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930. His first novel, Things Falls Apart, became a classic of international literature and required reading for students worldwide. He also authored four subsequent novels, two short-story collections, and numerous other books. He was the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University and, for more than 15 years, was the Charles P. Stevenson Jr. Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College. In 2007, Achebe was awarded the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement. He died in 2013. View titles by Chinua Achebe

Awards

  • WINNER | 2007
    Man Booker International Prize

Praise

"Eloquent. . . . Passionate. . . . Achebe's influence should go on and on . . . teaching and reminding us that all humankind is one."
--The Nation

"A master narrative."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Spare and moving... The many admirers of Achebe's fiction will find here a rare opportunity to glimpse a bit of the man behind the monumental novels."
--Chicago Tribune

"Soulful... A book that anyone concerned with advancing social justice and human dignity should read.
--The Seattle Times

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