Things Fall Apart

From Strand Bookstore

50th Anniversary Edition. This internationally acclaimed novel by the Nigerian novelist tells two intertwining stories - perfectly harmonized twin dramas - both centering on Okonkwo, a 'strong man' of an Ibo village in Nigera. The first, a powerful fable of the immemorial conflict between the individual and society, traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world. The second, as modern as the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destructionof Okonkwo's world with ther arrival of aggressive European missionaries. With a Glossary. 213p.

From the Publisher

With more than eight million copies in print worldwide, the author of this classic of twentieth-century literature "is gloriously gifted with the magic of an ebullient, generous talent" (Nadine Gordimer).

From the Publisher

This is Chinua Achebes classic novel, with more than two million copies sold since its first U.S. publication in 1969. Combining a richly African story with the author's keen awareness of the qualities common to all humanity, Achebe here shows that he is "gloriously gifted, with the magic of an ebullient, generous, great talent." -- Nadine Gordimer

Review

Times Literary Supplement
"Mr. Achebe draws a fascinating picture of tribal life among his own people at the end of the nineteenth century...A vivid imagination illuminates every page, and his style is a model of clarity. This novel genuinely succeeds in presenting tribal life from the inside."

More about the book

Things do indeed fall apart in the mid-20th-century world of West Africa when the British colonize the country, disrupting the ancient ways of life that have provided meaning and structure for the inhabitants of a rural Ibo village. The hero of the story is Okonwo, a revered community leader and the character Achebe frequently uses as a kind of "Everyman"--the brave tribesman who tries to cling to old ways in the face of encroaching western civilization. In this novel, Okonwo represents the rich traditional culture of the tribe, while his son Nwoye is attracted to the changes brought by the Europeans. Achebe's novel is a classic of African literature, suffused with his recognition of the losses that have accompanied the Europeanization of his homeland.