Another suggested that Achebe had "no sense of humour", but several days later Achebe was approached by a third professor, who told him: "I now realize that I had never really read Heart of Darkness although I have taught it for years." Although the lecture angered many of his colleagues, he was nevertheless presented later in 1975 with an honorary doctorate from the University of Stirling and the Lotus Prize for Afro-Asian Writers.
Outro professor sugeriu que Achebe "não tinha sentido de humor", mas, vários dias mais tarde, Achebe foi abordado por um terceiro professor, que lhe disse: "Percebi agora que nunca tinha realmente lido Heart of Darkness, embora o tenha ensinado durante anos". Embora a palestra tenha enraivecido muitos dos seus colegas, foi, ainda assim, presenteado posteriormente, em 1975, com um doutoramento honorário da University of Stirling e o Prémio Lotus para Escritores Afro-Asiáticos.