Chukwuemeka Ike’s first novel, Toads for Supper, was published in London in 1965. Conspiracy of silence is his twelfth full-length work of fiction. He has, in addition, written two and edited four nonfiction books. Born on 28 April 1931 at Ndikelionwu, Eastern Nigeria, Ike became Nigeria’s first Registrar & Chief Executive of the multinational West African Examinations Council with headquarters in Accra, Ghana (1971 - 79); the first Nigerian Registrar of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1963 - 71); and the interim executive head of the war battered university as chairman of its Planning & Management Committee (February - November 1970). He was the first Nigerian to be appointed to teach creative writing at full professorial rank (University of Jos, 1983 - 85), and was later, pro-chancellor & chairman of the governing council, University of Benin (1990 - 91). Since 1990, he has been deeply involved in indigenous book development as joint founder and president of the non-governmental, non-profit Nigerian Book Foundation. Ike is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management, an Honorary Fellow of City & Guilds of London Institute, an Honorary Fellow in Writing of the Univeristy of Iowa (USA), and an Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is married to Adebimpe, part-time Professor of Library Science and sometime University Librarian. They have a son, Osita, and a grandson, Chukwuemeka.