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Things Fall Apart
By Chinua Achebe
About the AuthorBorn November 15, 1930 in Ogidi, Nigeria
Family belonged to the Igbo tribeHe was the fifth of six childrenHis parents were convinced by the British controlling Nigeria to give up their tribal religion and become Christians
He grew up a Christian, too, but was curious about the more traditional Nigerian faiths
About the AuthorHe wrote five novels, of which Things Fall Apart is the most famous
He became involved in politics and actively crusaded for help for those in his country suffering
He was involved in a car accident in 1990 and is now paralyzed from the waist down
About the AuthorHe was unhappy with books written about Africa by the British (like Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson) because they were inaccurate and insulting
He wrote Things Fall Apart to combat this image. It is about a traditional warrior hero, Okonkwo, who is unable to adapt to the changing conditions under British rule.
About the BookPublished in 1959, written in English
The title comes from a poem by W.B. Yeats, “The Second Coming”
The language is simple, but dignified
The book questions both the tribal traditions of the Igbo and the influence of the white man in Nigeria
“The white man has put a knife in the things that held us together and we have
fallen apart.”
