Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart published on this day in 1958.
Things Fall Apart is the debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958.
Things fall apart depicts the pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of Europeans during the late 19th century.
The novel is also the archetypal modern African novel in English and one of the first to receive global critical acclaim.
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It is in schools throughout Africa and is in Europe, India, and North America, where it has numerous secondary and tertiary analytical works. It has achieved similar status and also criticsm0 in Australia and Oceania.
The novel was first published in the UK in 1962 by William Heinemann Ltd and became the first work published in Heinemann’s African Writers Series.
It is the most widely read African novel.
Considered Achebe’s magnum opus, the book translated into 61 languages. It sold over 20m copies and used in literature, world history, and African studies courses across the world.
In 2018, Encyclopedia Britannica named it one of the 12 greatest books ever written.
The novel included in TIME Magazine’s best 100 English Novels.
