

Chinua Achebe, African Literary Titan, Dies at 82 (2013) - igonvalue
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/world/africa/chinua-achebe-nigerian-writer-dies-at-82.html

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rwhitman
Chinua Achebe died 2 years ago.

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liamzebedee
The ending of Things Fall Apart was one of the most emotionally impactful
endings in such a brief manner that I've ever read:

"Obierika, who had been gazing steadily at his friend’s dangling body, turned
suddenly to the District Commissioner and said ferociously: “That man was one
of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will
be buried like a dog…” He could not say any more. His voice trembled and
choked his words."

Even now as I search for the quote I'm amazed after two years I can still
remember the exact wording -- 'he will be buried like a dog'. Rest in peace,
this wonderful author.

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elcct
Is he implying that the way dog is being buried is typically disrespectful?

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gsk
Yes, If I may: in countries like Africa, dogs are usually on their own (even
if they are nominally someone's pet) and quite often get run over on the road.
They are left there to rot before someone buries them or throws them over to
rot elsewhere without affecting traffic or roadside business. It is
undignified for dogs, especially so for humans.

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okal
Countries like Africa?

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henrygrew
sema Okal, huyu jamaa anajifanya anajua kumbe ni ujinga wake anaonyesha.

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gsk
Oh my! That was harsh and cleverly concealed too! My observation was lost in
translation. I have nothing against Africa. I read Achebe and consider Things
Fall Apart to be one of the best books I have read along with Hundred Years of
Solitude.

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okal
I didn't personally read any malice into your comment, for whatever it's
worth. Sorry if my comment made your day less pleasant. I could have made my
point more kindly.

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natrius
[2013]

This article has been popping up on Facebook today as well. On the plus side,
not very many people get the world to pay attention to their passing twice.
The social media age is weird.

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dang
No kidding. That's so weird we didn't even think to look at the date like we
usually do. I'm embarrassed not to have remembered that Achebe had died a
while ago.

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stephenhuey
Years before I read the novel, I actually saw his "Things Fall Apart"
performed as a play when I was a kid living in Lagos in the early 90s. The
novel itself may not be the best fiction ever written by an African author,
but it's the most widely known novel to come out of Africa and does a great
job of highlighting the harsh transition to colonialism.

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okal
"most widely known novel to come out of Africa" [Citation needed]

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zo1
Well, it is the only one I know of off the top of my head. And I've lived in
Africa for close to two decades.

Granted, I'm not big into literature, so that may have something to do with it
as well. Though I do view it as some sort of "cut-off" filter, anyways.

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okal
"Known by whom?", is what I should have asked. The claim makes assumptions
about its audience that simply have no way of being substantiated.

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yurylifshits
Great intro to his work — Crash Course lectures by John Green:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Kw94qjdQA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Kw94qjdQA)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyvDYZ6hJNA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyvDYZ6hJNA)

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foxhedgehog
checking dates, as relevant now as it was in 2013

