Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
first published 1958
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.
- 20th century literature
- Christianity
- masculinity
- British colonialism
- LANGUAGE & LITERARY STUDIES
- CONTEMPORARY FICTION
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Gently read. Clean pages.
Anchor Books, 1994
Editions of Things Fall Apart
40 print editions · 1 with copies for sale (the catalog lists 94 across every language and format)
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Anchor Books, 1994 · Anchor Books
Paperback · 1994
ISBN 9780385474542
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Penguin Books, Limited
2013
ISBN 9780141393964
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