You know how when something hits your radar, you start seeing it everywhere? Having just discussed Things Fall Apart last month, I couldn't not notice Chinua Achebe's name at the top of the (alphabetical) Judges List for this year's Man Booker International Prize. From the press release:

Chinua Achebe (born November 16, 1930) is a Nigerian novelist and poet, an esteemed and controversial literary critic, and one of the most widely read authors of the 20th century. He attended Government College in Umuahia from 1944 to 1947, and the University of Ibadan from 1948 to 1953. At the University of Ibadan, then known as the University of London, Achebe studied English, history and theology. A diplomat in the ill-fated Biafran government of 1967-1970, Achebe's work is primarily interested in African politics, the depiction of Africa and Africans in the West, and the intricacies of pre-colonial African culture and civilization, as well as the effects of colonialisation on African societies.

Things Fall Apart, was published in 1958, and is often considered among the finest novels ever written. Having sold over 10 million copies around the world, it has been translated into 50 languages, making Achebe the most translated African writer of all time, and is the recipient of over 30 honorary degrees as well as numerous awards for his work.

Update: Congratulations, Chinua Achebe!