ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH, with an introduction by Maya Jaggi

222pp., paperback, Reprint, London (1987) 2001

A satirical novel set in a fictional West African nation newly independent of British rule, where hopes of democracy have been destroyed by a military dictatorship. When the president is charged with censoring the editor of the state-run newspaper, Chris Oriko, a member of the president's cabinet for life and one of his oldest friends, has to decide where his loyalties lie.

"Achebe has written a story that sidesteps both ideologies of the African experience and political agendas, in order to lead us to a deeply human universal wisdom." Washington Post Book World

Nigerian novelist, poet, academic and critic Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) was David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown, USA, from 2009 until his death. His novels include Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, Arrow of God and A Man of the People.