Chinua Achebe's prophetic African novel. With "One of Us," Chinua Achebe anticipates the military coup that plunged Nigeria into a bloody civil war in 1966, just days after the novel's publication. The young, idealistic Odili visits his former teacher Chief Nanga, who is now the Minister of Culture and, while ostensibly a man of the people, cunningly enriches himself at the expense of his country. The moral gap between the two men initially seems enormous. However, in the "eat or be eaten" atmosphere, Odili's idealism soon collides with his personal desires—and the private and political rivalry between the young man and the old threatens to plunge the entire country into chaos. "One of Us" is Chinua Achebe's fourth novel and is considered one of the most important works in his oeuvre. It is now finally available in German translation. "Chinua Achebe is a magical writer.".