plicity, it is actually full of depth and
             complexity despite appearances. Very realistic and brief, it conveys as close as
             possible in English the language also spoken by the Ibo. By sprinkling the
             language with proverbs and other cultural references, Achebe slowly and naturally
             introduces the reader to Ibo culture. Achebe's honest and stunning style make
             him the ideal spokesman for African Literature, or as little of it as the West can
             [based upon Contemporary Authors by Melissa Culrose]
             Since the 1950's, Nigeria has witnessed "the flourishing of a new literature
             which has drawn sustenance from both traditional oral literature and from the
             present and rapidly changing society," writes Margaret Laurence in her book
             Long Drums and Cannons: Nigerian Dramatists and Novelists. Thirty years ago
             Chinua Achebe was one of the founders of this new literature, and over the years
             many critics have come to consider him the finest of the Nigerian novelists. His
             achievement, however, has not been limited to his continent. He is considered by
             many to be one of the best novelists now writing in the English language.
             Unlike some African writers struggling for acceptance among contemporary
             English language novelists, Achebe has been able to avoid imitating the trends in
             English literature. Rejecting the European notion "that art should be accountable
             to no one, and [needs] to justify itself to nobody," as he puts it in his book of
             essays, Morning Yet on Creation Day, Achebe has embraced instead the idea at
             the heart of the African oral tradition: that "art is, and always was, at the service
             of man. Our ancestors created their myths and told their stories for a human
             purpose." For this reason, Achebe believes that "any good story, any good novel,
             should have a message, should have a purpose."
             Achebe's feel for the African context has influenced his aesthetic of the novel as
             well as the technical ...