Agent: Author Chinua Achebe XXX at 82
NEW YORK (AP) — Nigerian author Chinua Achebe (CHIN'-uh-wah uh-CHEH'-beh), who wrote the classic "Things Fall Apart," has died. He was 82.
Achebe's publisher confirmed his death Friday.
Achebe's novel, published in 1958, is widely regarded as the first major work of modern African fiction and inspired others to tell the continent's story through the eyes of those who lived there.
"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."
Achebe was a leading critic of how Westerners had portrayed Africa, especially in Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."
He also wrote short stories, poems and children's stories.
