By Kachi Okezie
Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe, is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most important writers and a key figure in the development of African literature. Many people believe that he deserved to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature during his lifetime, but he never did.
It’s difficult to know for certain why Achebe was never awarded the Nobel Prize, as the selection process is highly confidential and the Nobel Committee does not comment on individual cases. To that end, this short piece does not in any way purport to come from the true state if play, rather it is intended to aid understanding based on informed analysis and conjecture about what might have happened.
Notwithstanding, there are a few possible factors that may have played a role, and these are as follows:
Bias: Some critics have suggested that the Nobel Committee may have been biased against African writers or writers of color in general. While this is difficult to prove, it’s worth noting that relatively few non-European writers have received the Nobel Prize over the years.
Politics: The Nobel Committee has been accused of being influenced by political considerations, particularly during the Cold War era. Achebe was an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government, and his work often dealt with political and social issues. It is quite possible that this made him a less appealing candidate to some members of the Committee.
Timing: Achebe’s career peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, when he published some of his most influential works, including “Things Fall Apart” and “Arrow of God”. However, the Nobel Prize is often awarded to writers later in their careers, and Achebe may have been overlooked simply because he was still relatively young when his most famous works were published.
Despite never receiving the Nobel Prize, Achebe’s legacy as a writer and thinker has had a profound impact on African and global literature.
It is hoped that neither his legacy nor that of any of his contemporaries dead or living should be brought under undeserved scrutiny in the course of the ongoing politics-induced tiffs.
Kachi Okezie writes from London.
