I must confess I came to his work rather late . Chinua Achebe was a genius , laden with 'the gift of ancient storytellers , ' writes Tolu Ogunlesi . Achebe twice rejected awards from the Nigerian government . Anger triggered by civil war , government failures , defined his relationship with Nigeria , says Ogunlesi . He died in exile in England at age 50. We should 'read his writing with the passion with which we revere his person '
Chinua Achebe was a genius , laden with 'the gift of ancient storytellers , ' writes Tolu Ogunlesi . Achebe twice rejected awards from the Nigerian government . Anger triggered by civil war , government failures , defined his relationship with Nigeria , says Ogunlesi . He died in exile in England at age 50. We should 'read his writing with the passion with which we revere his person '