Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe - 1958
Introduction
Things Fall Apart is a timeless story of one man's struggle against his own self-destructive tendencies. At the same time, the novel is firmly rooted in a specific era, in both its setting and the date of its composition. When it was published in 1958, Things Fall Apart achieved almost immediate international fame as the first major novel about Africa written by an African. The work was composed on the eve of decolonization, which was the achievement of independence by many African nations, including Achebe's native Nigeria, from almost a century of European colonial rule.
At its most basic, the novel challenges conventional Western perceptions of African peoples, societies, and cultures. Achebe intends to provide his readers with a clear and conscious alternative to the negative and stereotypical image of Africa constructed by European authors, such as Joseph Conrad and his novel Heart of Darkness. Achebe's African characters speak refined, sophisticated English in contrast to the childlike pidgin (hybrid) English often spoken by African characters in novels popular among European audiences. He frequently employs folk-tales and proverbs in his novel not only for dramatic effect, but to illustrate the vitality and wisdom of traditional African culture.
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