Things Fall Apart is a seminal novel written in 1958 by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It explores the forces that drive the rise and fall of Okonkwo, a leader and local wrestling champion throughout the nine villages of Igboland, resident in the war-minded village of Umofia. his three wives, his children (mainly concerning Nwoye and Ezinma), and the influences of British
colonialism and Christian missionaries on his
traditional Ibo (also spelled Igbo) community. After Okonwo accidently kills Ezeudo's son at a funeral, he is exiled to his mother's homeland for seven years. Upon returning, he finds that his clan has changed with the coming of colonialism. Okonkwo's story ends with his suicide - which is, to his culture, an abomination. Things Fall Apart is considered one of the major
works in African postcolonial
literature because it presents the life, culture, and complexities of a traditional African people with honesty, dignity and humanity. The story of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart has been compared in western countries to Greek tragedy, as the very characteristics that make Okonkwo a great leader in his clan (strength, inflexibility) lead ultimately to his death.
The title of the book comes from a poem, "The Second Coming," by William Butler Yeats, and is quoted in the frontpiece of the book:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer
Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
Things Fall Apart is considered by many to have been a milestone in African literature. It was followed by two sequels, No Longer at Ease (1960, originally written as the second part of a larger
Work together with Things Fall Apart ) and The Arrow of God (1964), featuring the descendants of Okonkwo and the problems they face under colonialism.
As in his other works, Achebe attempts to counter the common Western belief and view of the traditional African society (that of disorganized, barbaric tribes). Things Fall Apart , which has sold millions of copies, is by far his most famous and award-winning work.