When Chinua Achebe visited the Dept. of English at the University of Mysore to deliver special lectures this dialogue with Prof. UR Ananthamurthy was recorded and published in the Sunday herald on April 12, 1981. A Kannada version of this dialogue is included in a collection of essays of Prof UR Ananthamurthy.
UR Ananthamurthy:Let me begin by asking you about the narrative technique in Things Fall Apart. At one point, the narrator assumes the voice of a devout Christian to criticize the overzealous priest Rev. Smith. And a little later, he is ironic about Christianity when he remarks, "wisdom prevailed in the camp of the faithful and many lives were thus saved. How do you explain these shifts in point of view?
Chinua Achebe:I am not absolutely certain about the identity of the narrator. There are indeed shifts. There is a dominant narrator who may be the voice of the wise elders of the community, but there are other voices as well, intruding here and there.
UR Ananthamurthy:There may still be another, the critical outsider - an educated African - who says that African conquest happened through education, money, religion etc....
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03:51 PM, Apr 16, 2013
The opening sentence was as simple, declarative and revolutionary as a line out of Hemingway: "Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond," Chinua Achebe wrote in 'Things Fall Apart'. ...
08:08 AM, Mar 23, 2013
Penguin Books India is organizing it's fourth edition of 'Spring Fever' in New Delhi, a ten day literature festival from 15-24 March 2013. ...
01:32 PM, Mar 14, 2013
The Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature is organising a SAARC festival of literature in this Taj city March 10-11. ...
05:22 PM, Feb 21, 2013
There are times the book seems to be more of a personal memoir and less of a book on Russian literature. ...
02:11 PM, Feb 19, 2013
Gulzar was meant to be a keynote speaker at the Karachi Literature Festival that starts on Feburary 15. But decided to return to India. He was in Pakistan on a private visit with filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj recently. ...
04:41 PM, Feb 14, 2013
In 2012, going by the press coverage, the Jaipur Literature Festival had one guest who couldn't show up thanks to threats from fundamentalist Muslim groups, Salman Rushdie, and another guest, Oprah Winfrey, who did get there. This despite the very tangible presence of luminaries such as Michael Ondaatje, Richard Dawkins, Tom Stoppard, Lionel Shriver, Ben Okri, David Remnick, and a galaxy of others. ...
03:01 PM, Feb 14, 2013
While much work has been done on exploring and exposing communalism in India, relatively little attempt has been made to understand its conjoined twin, secularism. ...
05:54 PM, Feb 13, 2013
The counter argument to narrow mindedness is missing From the Grand Mufti's fatwa against the all-girl band in Kashmir, to the now lifted ban ...
09:56 AM, Feb 13, 2013
Over a fortnight, it is estimated two million people have entered the gates of the Kolkata Book Fair. ...
12:03 PM, Feb 12, 2013
The national capital is all set to host its very own literature festival later this week featuring book launches, interaction with authors as well as a music show. Coming close on the heels of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the two-day literary event beginning February 9 will host 10 sessions on different themes at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. ...
10:48 AM, Feb 07, 2013
Tonight at 10:30, CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose discusses with a panel of experts whether artistic freedom is in jeopardy in India. You can send your viewpoint and questions on the issue here or tweet them to us
@Face_the_Nation or
@SagarikaGhose.
12:08 PM, Feb 06, 2013
Sanjoy Roy, the organiser of the Jaipur Film Festival also said that it was not enough to provide relief to Ashis Nandy by telling the police to not arrest him. The courts needed to do more, he said. ...
03:43 PM, Feb 01, 2013
A visibly-relieved Ashis Nandy on Friday thanked the media and the public for standing by him as he was slammed and criticised for his remarks on Dalits at the Jaipur Literature Festival and said that he will be careful in future as the case was sub-judice. He, however, remarked, that he will voice his ideas "in some other country or within the four walls of my house." ...
12:31 PM, Feb 01, 2013
In a major relief, the Supreme Court has directed the Rajasthan police not to arrest sociologist Ashis Nandy. The court has issued notices to the Rajasthan government, Maharashtra government, Bihar government and Chhattisgarh government directing the same. ...
11:46 AM, Feb 01, 2013
The Supreme Court will on Friday hear sociologist Ashis Nandy's plea seeking the quashing of an FIR filed against him under the SC/ST Act. The Rajasthan Police booked him under a non-bailable section, which invites upto 10 years in jail. Last week, Nandy had linked corruption to Dalits at the Jaipur Literature Festival kicking up a controversy. ...
09:32 AM, Feb 01, 2013
A firm advocate of religious tolerance, the 40-something Ghuznavi feels writers, especially in contexts like hers, cannot escape social responsibility. ...
03:02 PM, Jan 31, 2013
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear sociologist Ashis Nandy's plea seeking quashing of FIR against him. Nandy's argument is based on the fact that no offence was mentioned in the FIR. ...
03:01 PM, Jan 31, 2013
A team of the Rajasthan Police will question sociologist Ashis Nandy on Thursday over his controversial comments linking Dalits to corruption. But the sociologist, who will appear in the Supreme Court later on Thursday afternoon, will request the apex court that all FIRs filed against him be quashed. Nandy's argument is based on the fact that no offence was mentioned in the FIR. ...
11:25 AM, Jan 31, 2013
Tonight at 10:30, CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose discusses with a panel of experts whether Dalit leaders have failed to address the real issues confronting the community. You can send your viewpoint and questions on the issue here or tweet them to us
@Face_the_Nation or
@SagarikaGhose.
10:32 AM, Jan 31, 2013
