Book review: Things fall apart
March 7, 2009
Title: Things fall apart
Author: Chinua Achebe
Pages: 313
This book was my first taste of authentic African literature. It is widely regarded as a classic and that is why I wanted to read it.
Things fall apart follows the life of Okonkwo, a big-shot tribal farmer who was highly regarded in his clan until things begin to fall apart. Okonkwo’s fall from grace is exacerbated by the arrival of foreign missionaries who bring western ideas of justice and administration to the clan.
The descriptions of tribal customs and beliefs are fascinating. Although their beliefs seem strange, primitive and brutal ours should appear the same to the impartial eye.
The style reminded me of some (poor) translations of Indian folk tales I have read. However, the book is perfectly readable and I had a good time reading it.
March 10, 2009 at 9:46 am
Because of Achebe’s famous screed against Joseph “thoroughgoing racist” Conrad, this one’s often thought of as the orientalist counterpart to Heart of Darkness. Honestly—and maybe I’m just a thoroughgoing racist as well—I was more impressed by Conrad’s work than by Achebe’s, if for nothing else than the quality of writing.