a book
Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe · 1994 · 209 pages
“African literature is incomplete and unthinkable without the works of Chinua Achebe.” —Toni Morrison
"A magical writer - one of the greates of the twentieth century." —Margaret Atwood
Named one of America's most-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
Things Fall Apart is the first of three novels in Chinua Achebe's critically acclaimed African Trilogy. It is a classic narrative about Africa's cataclysmic encounter with Europe as it establishes a colonial presence on the continent. Told through the fictional experiences of Okonkwo, a wealthy and fearless Igbo warrior of Umuofia in the late 1800s, Things Fall Apart explores one man's futile resistance to the devaluing of his Igbo traditions by British political andreligious forces and his despair as his community capitulates to the powerful new order.
With more than twenty million copies sold and translated into fifty-seven languages, Things Fall Apart provides one of the most illuminating and permanent monuments to African experience. Achebe does not only capture life in a pre-colonial African village, he conveys the tragedy of the loss of that world while broadening our understanding of our contemporary realities.
recommended by 17 people
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Jacqueline Novogratz
“The first book I read by an African author. Achebe is unflinching in his portrayal of the challenges of change, the relationships of colonialism, and power/powerlessness.”↗
Chrissie Hynde
“The first time I read this one, I was on tour in Australia. I had to hide in a hotel room for an hour to finish it. I was devastated, crying, the lot. It was one of the first novels by an African to be published in English, and it is a masterpiece. Breathtaking stuff.”↗
Hilary Mantel
“A classic of African writing and a book of world stature, Chinua Achebe’s novel is set in a Nigerian village in the 1890s, where traditional society and the individual’s role falters in the face of modern and western influence. It is a gripping human story, universal in its appeal.”↗
Yann Martel
“A remarkably evenhanded account of the colonization of Nigeria by the British. It’s a subtle, poignant story about the tragic clash between two civilizations that met and showed each other their worst sides.”↗
Geetanjali Shree
“Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart portrays the pathos of a people’s subjugation. It brings us uncomfortably close to the everyday sorrows of those suddenly condemned to loss of freedom, dignity, self-worth, and erosion of social cohesion. Achebe makes us experience a human tragedy that, like many similar tragedies the world over, was wrought by the twin cataclysmic forces of colonialism and Christian proselytising.”↗
Samantha Power
“A few weeks ago, @vulture asked me to describe 10 books that have impacted me along the way. List just out: Chinua Achebe, Dorothy Day, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Ralph Ellison, Bernard Malamud, Doris Kearns Goodwin, & more:”↗
Dina D. Pomeranz
“@cblatts @poverty_action - Factfulness by @HansRosling - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton - Madam President by @helenecooper - Born a Crime by @Trevornoah All of these have excellent audio books, too.”↗
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