Chinua Achebe(1930-2013)was born in Nigeria. Widely considered to be the father of modern African literature, he is best known for his masterful African Trilogy, consisting ofThings Fall Apart, Arrow of God, andNo Longer at Ease. The trilogy tells the story of a single Nigerian community over three generations from first colonial contact to urban migration and the breakdown of traditional cultures. He is also the author ofAnthills of the Savannah,A Man of the People,Girls at Warand Other Stories,Home and Exile,Hopes and Impediments,Collected Poems,The Education of a British-Protected Child,Chike and the River, andThere Was a Country. He was the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University and, for more than fifteen years, was the Charles P. Stevenson Jr. Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College. Achebe was the recipient of the Nigerian National Merit Award, Nigeria's highest award for intellectual achievement. In 2007, Achebe was awarded the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement.