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  • Published: 4 February 1997
  • ISBN: 9780385260459
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $37.99

Anthills of the Savannah




A searing satire of political corruption and social injustice from the celebrated author of Things Fall Apart

In the fictional West African nation of Kangan, newly independent of British rule, the hopes and dreams of democracy have been quashed by a fierce military dictatorship. Chris Oriko is a member of the president's cabinet for life, and one of the leader's oldest friends. When the president is charged with censoring the opportunistic editor of the state-run newspaper--another childhood friend--Chris's loyalty and ideology are put to the test. The fate of Kangan hangs in the balance as tensions rise and a devious plot is set in motion to silence a firebrand critic. 

From Chinua Achebe, the legendary author of Things Fall Apart, Anthills of the Savannah is "A vision of social change that strikes us with the force of prophecy" (USA Today). 

  • Published: 4 February 1997
  • ISBN: 9780385260459
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $37.99

About the author

Chinua Achebe

Born in 1930, Nigerian novelist and poet Chinua Achebe is probably black Africa's most widely read novelist. His first work, Things Fall Apart, is regarded as a classic of world literature and has been translated into 40 languages.

Introducer Biography:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie grew up in Nigeria and now lives in the United States. She is the author of Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sunand The Thing Around Your Neck.

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Praise for Anthills of the Savannah

"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 "[Anthills Of The Savannah] has wonderful satiric moments and resounds with big African laughter." --The New York Review Of Books "Achebe moves effortlessly... creating a flurry of perspectives from which his story's dramatic and disturbing events are scrutinized. Anthills Of The Savannah... will prove hard to forget. It's a vision of social change that strikes us with the force of prophecy" --USA Today