Overview
A major milestone in African literature and considered Chinua Achebe’s magnum opus, Things Fall Apart continues to be a curriculum staple in world history, literature, and African studies courses internationally.
“The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.”
The first of three novels in the renowned African Trilogy, Things Fall Apart takes place in the late 1800s and describes life in Igboland (modern day Southeastern Nigeria) as Europeans begin invading native lands.
Told through the experiences of Okonkwo, a respected member of the Umuofia clan, the story offers readers not only a perspective on pre-colonial life in the region, but the realities of colonization on indigenous populations throughout history.
Though Things Falls Apart is a work of fiction, it carries a heavy historical and cultural weight, presenting a pivotal perspective and focusing on themes such as colonization, religion, tradition, linguistics, gender politics, family, fate, and free will.