Nigerian author and Brown University Professor Chinua Achebe. Credit: Mike Cohea, Brown University.
WPRO Newsroom
Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, who wrote the classic novel "Things Fall Apart," died Thursday evening in Boston at age 82. Achebe was also the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University. He joined the staff in 2009.
Among his activities at Brown was the annual Achebe Colloquium on Africa, an international gathering of scholars, policymakers, elected officials, writers, and others with a shared interest in current-day African affairs.
“The colloquia he organized at Brown attracted a grand array of guests and effectively demonstrated how the humanities can build understanding by drawing from and encouraging a variety of perspectives,” said Brown University President Christina H. Paxson in a statement. “We were honored to have him among us.”
Achebe's 1958 novel, "Things Fall Apart," has sold more than 8 million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages. His other novels included "A Man of the People" and "Arrow of God."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
