Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe

Heinemann, 1996 - Africa - 148 pages

This expanded edition of Chinua Achebe's first novel portrays the collision of African and European cultures in an Igbo village. Okonkwo, a great man in Igbo traditional society, cannot adapt to the profound changes brought by the British conquest of Nigeria. Yet, as in classic tragedy, Okonkwo's character as well as external forces contribute to his downfall.

This expanded edition includes new illustrations, maps, additional essays on history, culture,and literature, and reference material to help readers see Achebe's classic novel in social and historical context, and to understand its place in world literature.

What people are saying

User Review -

The book is legendary, a must read!
I recommend " The inevitable price" by Anthony Anierobi, its also a must read, IBO's TO THE WORLD.

User Review -

wow love book and intresting

Contents

• Preface: v
• Igbo Culture and History by Don Ohadike: xix
• Principal Characters in the Novel: li

About the author

Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 in Ogidi, Nigeria. He studied English, history and theology at University College in Ibadan from 1948 to 1953. After receiving a second-class degree, he taught for a while before joining the Nigeria Broadcasting Service in 1954. He was working as a broadcaster when he wrote his first two novels, and then quit working to devote himself to writing full time. Unfortunately his literary career was cut short by the Nigerian Civil War. During this time he supported the ill-fated Biafrian cause and served abroad as a diplomat. He and his family narrowly escaped assassination. After the civil war, he abandoned fiction for a period in favor of essays, short stories, and poetry. His works include Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God, No Longer at Ease, A Man of the People, Anthills of the Savannah, and There Was a Country. He also wrote four children's books including Chike and the River and How the Leopard Got His Claws. In 2007, he won the Man Booker International Prize for his "overall contribution to fiction on the world stage." He also worked as a professor of literature in Nigeria and the United States. He died following a brief illness on March 21, 2013 at the age of 82.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Things Fall Apart; African writers series, ISSN 0065-4108; African writers series. Classics in context; Classics in context; Heinemann African Writers Series
• Author: Chinua Achebe
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Heinemann, 1996
• ISBN: 0435905252, 9780435905255
• Length: 148 pages