Chinua Achebe (/ˈtʃɪnwɑː əˈtʃɛbeɪ/; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe, 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic.[1] His first novelThings Fall Apart (1958), often considered his masterpiece,[2] is the most widely read book in modern African literature.