Why Writing about own people is important; Chinua Achebe in sight

Ever wondered why authors writing about their culture, pain and movement in their short stories and novels are recognised internationally by acclaimed agencies such as Nobel Prize for Literature? Yes, a thought goes behind this. Many Indians often think that despite a number of well-known authors from India--such as Vikram Seth, Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh and others, there is no name in last hundred years from India to create waves with a Nobel Prize in Literature. Except Rabindranath Tagore, no one has impressed the Nobel Committee.

The reason is obvious. Indian English authors are engaged in writing biased fiction without looking at roots where they have emerged from. While Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Arundhoti Roy and Arvind Adiga look more literary with their ability to impress everyone, they sound less connecting to India's cultural roots. It is despite their writings are full of the squalor that persists in India. You might wonder why. We can probaly look at Chinua Achebe, the African writer who wrote in English and yet won the Nobel Prize. He's renowned around the world for his writing and being a voice for the suffering his people have faced in the evolution from tribal culture to colonization. His stories are at par to manifest the lives of poor Africans. His 'Things Fall Apart' is a classic example.

An author does not need to write always literary. He rather has to sound convincing. As they say sincerity is a great weapon to cross all hurdles in life.

Achebe's writing is the reflection of how the conflict between the colonizer and the colonized existed. His stories sound true to the heart and wind the reader. When we read him, we reach in the poor countryside of that country. Every paragraph sounds like a lane and bylane of the country.  The Literary Yard has carried an exciting article on Achebe's novel "Arrow of God". Please read the article and share your thoughts.

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