Penguin Random House
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
A worldwide bestseller and the first part of Achebe's African Trilogy, Things Fall Apart is the compelling story of one man's battle to protect his community against the forces of change
Okonkwo is the greatest wrestler and warrior alive, and his fame spreads throughout West Africa like a bush-fire in the harmattan. But when he accidentally kills a clansman, things begin to fall apart. Then Okonkwo returns from exile to find missionaries and colonial governors have arrived in the village. With his world thrown radically off-balance he can only hurtle towards tragedy.
First published in 1958, Chinua Achebe's stark, coolly ironic novel reshaped both African and world literature, and has sold over ten million copies in forty-five languages. This arresting parable of a proud but powerless man witnessing the ruin of his people begins Achebe's landmark trilogy of works chronicling the fate of one African community, continued in Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease.
'His courage and generosity are made manifest in the work' Toni Morrison
'The writer in whose company the prison walls fell down' Nelson Mandela
'A great book, that bespeaks a great, brave, kind, human spirit' John Updike
With an Introduction by Biyi Bandele
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This clap back novel Things Fall Apart of Heart of Darkness by Charles Dickens is a must read. Achebe sheds light on black spirituality, leadership and Ubuntu. He also brings to light how colonialism brought darkness (negative impacts) on African communities and their functioning. This insightful novel tells tales preserved by Praise poets to retell the history of our people and how important it is to learn from it to avoid making the same mistakes twice. I love it!! a must read indeed
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