Tag Archives: Chinua Achebe

On Fathers & Sons & Things Fall Apart

In a recent talk with my oldest son, I suddenly realized I was replicating my father’s relationship with me. I also found myself identifying with characters in Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.”

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Achebe vs. Trump’s Heart of Darkness

50 years ago, black protesters would have been seen as Conrad sees Africans in “Heart of Darkness,” an undifferentiated mass. Achebe helped change that.

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My “Last Lecture”

I share here my “last lecture” from my retirement ceremony. (But rest assured: I will not be retiring from this blog.)

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Literature Has Paul Ryan’s Number

Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Chinua Achebe, John Milton, and Thomas Hardy see through men like departing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

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Theories about Lit’s Impact

A transcript of a talk given at the University of Ljubljana on “how literature changes lives.”

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Speaker Paul Ryan in Literature

I’ve written a lot about Paul Ryan and his aspiration to be a John Galt figure. Now that he is Speaker of the House, I review other literary parallels I’ve drawn over the years.

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Takers vs. Makers in “Things Fall Apart”

Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” has an urgent message for us in today’s political battles.

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Things Fall Apart in Bishops vs. Nuns

Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” contrasts rigid and tolerant Christianity in ways that will benefit our own society.

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Romney’s Appointment in Samarra

“Appointment at Samarra” and “Things Fall Apart” help explain why Mitt Romney is so inept on the campaign trail.

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