Things Fall Apart

About “Things Fall Apart”

Things Fall Apart is a 1958 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It portrays life in a pre-colonial Igbo community in southeastern Nigeria and the impact of European colonialism and Christian missionaries. The story follows Okonkwo, a local wrestling champion and respected member of the Umuofia clan. The novel is divided into three parts, with the first focusing on Igbo culture and society, and the later sections depicting the disruption caused by colonial forces. It was first published in 1962 in the UK by William Heinemann Ltd and was the first book in the publisher’s African Writers Series. Achebe later wrote two novels, No Longer at Ease (1960) and Arrow of God (1964), which are part of a related series. He also wrote A Man of the People (1966) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987), which he considered spiritual successors to Things Fall Apart.