Elechi Amadi was born in Aluu, Nigeria on May 12, 1934. He was educated at the Government College, Umuahia, and at the University College, Ibadan. After graduating, he worked briefly as a land surveyor and then a secondary school teacher. During the Nigerian civil war, he opposed the Biafran cause. His unpleasant encounters with the Biafran authorities are recorded in the memoir Sunset in Biafra. He wrote several novels during his lifetime including The Concubine, The Great Ponds, The Slave, and Estrangement. Later in life, he wrote several plays including Isiburu and Dancer of Johannesburg. In 2003, he was made a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his nation's highest honor. He died on June 29, 2016 at the age of 82.
