Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart is the debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958. It depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of Europeans during the late 19th century. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, and one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world. The novel was first published in the UK in 1962 by William Heinemann Ltd, and became the first work published in Heinemann's African Writers Series. The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo ("Ibo" in the novel) man and local wrestling champion in the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia. The work is split into three parts, with the first describing his family, personal history, and the customs and society of the Igbo, and the second and third sections introducing the influence of European colonialism and Christian missionaries on Okonkwo, his family, and the wider Igbo community. Things Fall Apart was followed by a sequel, No Longer at Ease (1960), originally written as the second part of a larger work along with Arrow of God (1964). Achebe states that his two later novels A Man of the People (1966) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987), while not featuring Okonkwo's descendants, are spiritual successors to the previous novels in chronicling African history.
Stats for nerds
21recommend
35mentions
33people
2009–2026years
66% recommend34% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- 1. Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]
3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy
5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris
6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]
7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan
8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]
9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]
11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]
13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253
[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741
[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535
[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771
- i remember been intrigued by Papua new guinea ages ago.. back in the day there was a documentary made by some italian dudes (my fellow countrymen) you could watch for free on YT, but i can't find it anymore..
Anyway.. there is this scene where they were witnessing some big show-off between two tribes and at some point everybody stops as they notice the white dudes and have to decide if they have to kill them or not, in the end they manage to bribe their way out of it.. crazy stuff, they even go visit some tribal ossuaries where the bones of the enemies are kept.
Can't help but think of 'Chinua Achebe - Things Fall Apart' .. if you haven't read the book, you really should
- Thanks for this question!
I'm not reading anything at the moment since I'm taking a break and watching season one of Deadwood and also re-watching season one of Boston Legal.
But when I'm done, I plan to re-read "The Cold War A Very Short Introduction" by Robert J. McMahon. I read it about five years ago and it's time to read it again.
Having said that, I can't pass on this opportunity to share the books I've read (some are re-reads) thus far this year that I recommend. I'll just list them while saying that they all come highly recommended by me.
In the famous words of Frank Zappa - So many books, so little time.
1. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris
2. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris
3. Lying by Sam Harris
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
5. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
6. Cosmos by Carl Sagan.
7. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
9. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
10. Mortality by Christopher Hitchens
11. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
13. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
14. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
15. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan
16. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins
- I remember reading Things Fall Apart when I was about 13, It was probably the first African novel I read, and I couldn't believe it was actually written by an African even though I was a Nigerian. It was an eye opener, and I was completely engrossed in it, and I believe it provides one of the finest insights into the cultural clash between the natives and their colonial masters.
- I don't have a favorite book quote, as my choice depends on what I'm going through or experiencing at a particular point in my life. As at today, my favorite quote that comes to mind is from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe -
Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult instead of action. He discerned fright in that tumult. He heard voices asking: "Why did he do it?" He wiped his machete on the sand and went away.
- Hard to interpret that comment as anything but racist. Chinua Achebe is widely considered one of the greatest modern novelists. He was 28 when he wrote Things Fall Apart.
