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77th out of 493 books
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261 voters
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A Man of the People
By the renowned author of Things Fall Apart, this novel foreshadows the Nigerian coups of 1966 and shows the color and vivacity as well as the violence and corruption of a society making its own way between the two worlds.
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
December 19th 1988
by Anchor
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I strongly disliked the first two thirds of this book, but I really enjoyed the last bit. As with other Achebe books, it has a strong sense of foreboding throughout, and at first it seemed like just another moral fable, of a good man going bad. But then the narrator, an idealistic young man in his twenties, decides to stand up to a bully, though for some of the wrong reasons. At that moment, Achebe somehow perfectly captures what it is like to be young and foolish and headstrong and selfish and ...more
Even though I teach and love Things Fall Apart, I have been remiss in not reading any of Achebe's other novels. I'm glad I chose this one to read next. There is much of the subtle humor and sadness here. The characters seem so modern, yet so archetypal. As with TFA, Achebe seems to perfectly frame the complex conundrum of power that all nations--not just Nigerians--must face down in order to raise themselves up. This conundrum resonates in Abani's Graceland and in Adichie's Purple Hibiscus and H...more
Honestly, this book started out slow and ended even slower. I'll admit that it became a little interesting in the middle, but then it became dull all over again. I was constantly falling asleep while I read this book, and I definitely did not enjoy the political elements the appeared so strongly in this book. Nigeria has issues that need to be solved, but this book made it seem as though the people were alright with their suffering. Obviously they are not.
The last two chapters especi...more
The last two chapters especi...more
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Pokok persoalan novel ini bukanlah tentang hero atau penjahat. Walaupun naratifnya memuncak dari pertelingkahan kuasa diantara 'Saya', seorang intelektual muda dan Ketua Nanga, seorang menteri yang rasuah dan bobrok namun kelihatannya apa yang menyebabkan pertelingkahan itu bukanlah berpunca daripada niat yang murni intelektual itu untuk mengubah keadaan yang sedia diketahuinya bobrok. Penentangan yang lebih berpunca daripada masalah peribadi itu memaparkan secara bijaksana inti cerita Achebe in...more
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Chinua, an amazing writer. I didn't think this book was that grasping but I still sped through it. The way Achebe plays out his characters keeps you interested - and this is a character book if I've ever seen one. It was good, but not great. Intertesting but not enthralling. Readable but not so much quoteable.
Sum-Up: I wouldn't go as far as recommending it, but if you like Chinua Achebe and you've read the big ones, this one you will enjoy as well. Not for first time Chinua readers....more
Sum-Up: I wouldn't go as far as recommending it, but if you like Chinua Achebe and you've read the big ones, this one you will enjoy as well. Not for first time Chinua readers....more
A young African teacher's efforts to establish himself in a post-colonial nation in which his idealism comes into brutal conflict with the corruption of the new government. Similar in topic to Achebe's Anthills of the Savannah, but this time from the perspective of a small village away from the capital. Added to my list after reading the author's Things Fall Apart.
I think what I like best about Achebe's writing is his use of African proverbs to reinforce many of the themes of his novels - especially since Western / European proverbs have been overdone to death in literature. I particularly like the narrator's voice in this novel - struggling politically yet still very much in touch with the everyday life of love and family.
A world away from "Things Fall Apart," "A Man of the People" is a story that is most clearly Achebe's, but is much more post-modern in its approach than Achebe's previous novels. For that reason, it is both more intriguing and more disappointing at the same time. I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on this one for now, so I'll check in later once I have a more solid feel on this one.
A novel about the political struggles in Africa and the common man. It explores the violence and corruption in society, and how easily we can go from being the one who speaks out against corruption, to the one embracing it as a way of life. This novel reminded me a lot of 1984, but the ending is more hopeful. I'll admit, I was quite bored with it.
This is a great political satire and has one of the best last lines of any books I've ever read. (Some of the dialogue is in pidgin, which was a little confusing at times, but Brian helped me out with what he's learned at his lessons, and I used some Nigerian web sites, as well.)
A Man of the People is a delightful novel. It is humorous and also intense. There are two main characters, Chief Nanga and Odili. In the beginning the reader is introduced to the Chief as Odili perceives him in hindsight. Odili describes the corruption of the post colonial government and the overall anti intellectual attitude in his country. After personal betrayal Odili seeks revenge against Chief Nanga and becomes involved with politics. Towards the end of the novel Achebe describes how v...more
Although I found it slow-to-get-going, in the end this book amazed me for (among other things) its narrator: its complex, almost-reliable, subtle, believable narrator. Achebe makes him sometimes self-aware and sometimes not, which is an impressive feat for a novelist to manage.
In defense of so much re-reading, I'd say that when you read a book at different times in your life you read it so differently that the book itself is altered. So it's like reading it for the first time.
Anyone interested in the uses of power should read this book.
Anyone interested in the uses of power should read this book.
a lot more focused scope than i thought was going to be the case with a political satire. besides the historical timing there's not a whole lot here. still quick/interesting. undercurrent of sexism.
A political gem of the "father of modern African literature". The theme of conflict that drives Achebe’s stories is the conflict between two widely detached traditions of African and European origin.
A critical look at the culture of "Big Men" in postcolonial Africa. A classic that is interesting to look at alongside Ayi Kwei Armah's _The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born_.
The book was an interesting read... I give it four stars because I could relate with the story.. However, the pidgin English was excessively used
This book was quirky and charming and it really shows how well Achebe writes. The pidgin was nicely done but the ending felt a little anti-climatic.
Claire S
marked it as to-read
Chinua Achebe is among those writers mentioned early on by President Obama in his book, 'Dreams From my Father.'
Very good commentary on post-colonial African politics. Funny if you understand the joke.
profound . . . Chinua has always impressed me - - -
This is my favorite of the Achebe books...
A nice read.
Chepkorir Kitur
added it
educative
It earned me a fantastic grade in literature.
My introduction to Chinua Achebe's work was through "Things Fall Apart", and I loved it. I find that Achebe took on a different character and writing style for "A Man of the People". He definitely has a talent for satirical writing, but I miss the more poetic, dramatic style he used in "Things Fall Apart". That being said, I still think this is a good book and is worth a read for those of you who enjoy Achebe's work or like reading about Africa.
Madeline
rated it
Shelves:
50-poc-in-2009,
library-books,
2009,
colonialism,
socialism,
revenge,
revolution,
nigeria,
novels,
social-agenda
This is considerably funnier than Things Fall Apart, but it is not as moving - it is not a tragedy. Or, at least, it is not a personal tragedy although probably any book that deals with this topic is a tragedy. It reminded me very strongly of Xala and the writing of Jonathan Swift.
Not my favorite. Odili is so clearly sexist it is hard to like him, but that really isn't the point Achebe was making. Odili wasn't supposed to be likeable, he was the vehicle through which Achebe told his story and nothing more. Odili's biases were a part of it, just like the violence and rampant corruption was a part of it.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was required reading for my Non-Western Civilization class and I found myself falling in love with Achebe's writing style. For a book I probably never would have picked up on my own, this was a surprisingly good read.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Hon.nanka was so eager to be a parliamentarian and later to be a minister of state.you could imagine what next? | 1 | 6 | Aug 14, 2010 04:39pm |
Chinua Achebe is a novelist, poet, professor at Brown University and critic. He is best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.
Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with wo...more
More about Chinua Achebe...
Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with wo...more
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