Things Fall Apart
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Description
A worldwide bestseller and the first part of Achebe's African Trilogy, Things Fall Apart is the compelling story of one man's battle to protect his community against the forces of change
Okonkwo is the greatest wrestler and warrior alive, and his fame spreads throughout West Africa like a bush-fire in the harmattan. But when he accidentally kills a clansman, things begin to fall apart. Then Okonkwo returns from exile to find missionaries and colonial governors have arrived in the village. With his world thrown radically off-balance he can only hurtle towards tragedy.
First published in 1958, Chinua Achebe's stark, coolly ironic novel reshaped both African and world literature, and has sold over ten million copies in forty-five languages. This arresting parable of a proud but powerless man witnessing the ruin of his people begins Achebe's landmark trilogy of works chronicling the fate of one African community, continued in Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease.
'His courage and generosity are made manifest in the work' Toni Morrison
'The writer in whose company the prison walls fell down' Nelson Mandela
'A great book, that bespeaks a great, brave, kind, human spirit' John Updike
With an Introduction by Biyi Bandele
Book Information
Posts
Klasse Buch , das einen guten Einblick in die nigerianische Kultur zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts gibt. Anhand des Lebens von Okonkwo wird die Zerstörung der traditionellen Kultur und dem (Zusammen-) Leben vieler Menschen durch den Kolonialismus in einem kleinen Dorf erzählt. Man erfährt viel vom Alltagsleben, Lebenseinstellung , Dorfstruktur und Glaubensriten. Tradition im Guten wie im Schlechten. Beeindruckend trotz der Kürze des Buches. Freue mich schon auf den zweiten Teil der Trilogie.
Ein Klassiker der afrikanischen Literatur. Der Autor hat als einer der ersten über den Kolonialismus aus Sicht eines Afrikaners (genauer: Igbo-Stamm im heutigen Nigeria) geschrieben ... wohlgemerkt in den 50ern. Der Schreibstil ist angelehnt an die Erzähltradition der Igbos ... tolles Stilmittel, mir war es aber teilweise zu schwergängig.
This story is already haunting me...
The first half of the book tells the story of Okonkwo, a great warrior, his family and their life in a nigerian village. It gives the reader a good feeling for the culture, their customs and beliefs. This part was interesting, but Okonkwo is not a sympathetic character and the toxic masculinity and treatment of women and children was often hard to stomach. I had to remind myself a lot, that this is not just from a different culture but also a totally different era (published 1958). The second half is where 'shit hits the fan' in the form of the White Man, or better said, white missionaries of the Christian faith. It's hard and haunting to read how their culture gets belittled and pushed aside step by slow step and how Okonkwo's world gets smaller and smaller. It left me with deeply mixed and troubled feelings. I'm glad that babies weren't killed but saved by the priests, but at the same time I'm outraged at the audacity of humans to go somewhere and tell others that their way of living is wrong and then forcing one's own beliefs onto others. This book left me angry and ashamed, thoughtful and melancholy. I've read a few books lately that were better written and more enthralling, but none of those have made me FEEL as much as this one.
Alles zerfällt ist ein facettenreiches, nachdenklich stimmendes Buch. Es lässt einen mit den richtigen Fragen zurück. Und einem grandiosen letzten Kapitel.
Alles zerfällt- aber was ist dieses alles? In der Geschichte zerfällt ein Klan durch das Erscheinen des weißen Mannes. Es werden Fragen nach der Gültigkeit von Rechtssystemen gestellt: Was verstehen wir unter Gerechtigkeit und ist dieser Begriff universell? Es werden Fragen nach Geschlechterdefinitionen gestellt: Was ist Männlichkeit und was Weiblichkeit? Und es werden Fragen nach dem Glauben gestellt: Was ist Religion und was nicht? Auf welchem Fundament steht ein Glaube und welchen Sinn hat er? Wer bestimmt eigentlich, welche Antwort die richtige ist? Gibt es überhaupt ein richtig und ein falsch, ein besser und ein schlechter? Durch das Zitat des Dichters Yeats zu Beginn des Romans wird aber noch etwas anderes thematisiert. Alles zerfällt kann als Auseinanderbrechen der ehemaligen Kolonialmächte gesehen werden. Allein das Erzählen dieser Geschichte, der Geschichte eines Mannes des Igbo-Stamms, kann als ein Akt der Dekolonialisierung gelesen werden.
In this first novel of the trilogy, the reader follows the impact of colonization on an Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Families are torn apart by the new Christian faith some turn to while others remain with their own gods. The colonial power is shown to cruelly punish the African population for any breaking of laws which are not their own, and to otherwise treat them as stupid children at best. What is most fascinating about the novel to me is the different way of story-telling, which reflects the tradition of oral narration very concisely. As a reader, I felt very "spoken to" in a way I haven't experienced with Western/European literary traditions. On looking back now, I am also surprised at how cleverly the author has managed to get a reader of a completely different cultural background to accept the more violent customs of the tribe as something that has to be (the abandoning of newborn twins in the bush, the ritual mutilation of corpses, the beatings and wars between tribes) while making the reader feel the injustice of colonial violence at the same time. The representation seems the key to this: The more violent customs are related in passing, and basically without bloodshed (despite there having to be some), while the colonial violence is represented in all horrid detail. I do not think this unfair treatment, though. If I'd had more spare time, I might possibly have read the book in a single session because it actually (and surprisingly for me) pulled me in right away.
In this first novel of the trilogy, the reader follows the impact of colonization on an Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Families are torn apart by the new Christian faith some turn to while others remain with their own gods. The colonial power is shown to cruelly punish the African population for any breaking of laws which are not their own, and to otherwise treat them as stupid children at best. What is most fascinating about the novel to me is the different way of story-telling, which reflects the tradition of oral narration very concisely. As a reader, I felt very "spoken to" in a way I haven't experienced with Western/European literary traditions. On looking back now, I am also surprised at how cleverly the author has managed to get a reader of a completely different cultural background to accept the more violent customs of the tribe as something that has to be (the abandoning of newborn twins in the bush, the ritual mutilation of corpses, the beatings and wars between tribes) while making the reader feel the injustice of colonial violence at the same time. The representation seems the key to this: The more violent customs are related in passing, and basically without bloodshed (despite there having to be some), while the colonial violence is represented in all horrid detail. I do not think this unfair treatment, though. If I'd had more spare time, I might possibly have read the book in a single session because it actually (and surprisingly for me) pulled me in right away.
Im Buch wird das Leben eines Clans in Nigeria Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts erzählt. Was mich etwas abgeschreckt und geärgert hat, war die Gewalt im Allgemeinen und insbesondere an den Frauen, die sehr stark unterdrückt wurden. Das Buch besteht aus drei Teilen und erst im letzten Teil kommen die Missionare verstärkt zum Vorschein. Der Autor beschreibt, wie durch den Eingriff der Missionare, die Struktur der Gesellschaft des Clans ins Wanken kommt. Die Geschichte hat mich etwas traurig zurück gelassen. Einerseits konnte ich die Gesellschaftsform dieses Clans nicht gut heißen, andererseits kamen die Missionare und haben einfach ihre Gesetze und Religion diesen Menschen aufgedrückt, ohne sich wirklich mit deren Kultur auseinander gesetzt zu haben. Es stellt sich mir die Frage, inwieweit wir Naturvölker so leben lassen sollen/können wir sie wollen? Wo sind die Grenzen? Was ist akzeptabel und wo muss das Gesetz einschreiten?
Description
A worldwide bestseller and the first part of Achebe's African Trilogy, Things Fall Apart is the compelling story of one man's battle to protect his community against the forces of change
Okonkwo is the greatest wrestler and warrior alive, and his fame spreads throughout West Africa like a bush-fire in the harmattan. But when he accidentally kills a clansman, things begin to fall apart. Then Okonkwo returns from exile to find missionaries and colonial governors have arrived in the village. With his world thrown radically off-balance he can only hurtle towards tragedy.
First published in 1958, Chinua Achebe's stark, coolly ironic novel reshaped both African and world literature, and has sold over ten million copies in forty-five languages. This arresting parable of a proud but powerless man witnessing the ruin of his people begins Achebe's landmark trilogy of works chronicling the fate of one African community, continued in Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease.
'His courage and generosity are made manifest in the work' Toni Morrison
'The writer in whose company the prison walls fell down' Nelson Mandela
'A great book, that bespeaks a great, brave, kind, human spirit' John Updike
With an Introduction by Biyi Bandele
Book Information
Posts
Klasse Buch , das einen guten Einblick in die nigerianische Kultur zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts gibt. Anhand des Lebens von Okonkwo wird die Zerstörung der traditionellen Kultur und dem (Zusammen-) Leben vieler Menschen durch den Kolonialismus in einem kleinen Dorf erzählt. Man erfährt viel vom Alltagsleben, Lebenseinstellung , Dorfstruktur und Glaubensriten. Tradition im Guten wie im Schlechten. Beeindruckend trotz der Kürze des Buches. Freue mich schon auf den zweiten Teil der Trilogie.
Ein Klassiker der afrikanischen Literatur. Der Autor hat als einer der ersten über den Kolonialismus aus Sicht eines Afrikaners (genauer: Igbo-Stamm im heutigen Nigeria) geschrieben ... wohlgemerkt in den 50ern. Der Schreibstil ist angelehnt an die Erzähltradition der Igbos ... tolles Stilmittel, mir war es aber teilweise zu schwergängig.
This story is already haunting me...
The first half of the book tells the story of Okonkwo, a great warrior, his family and their life in a nigerian village. It gives the reader a good feeling for the culture, their customs and beliefs. This part was interesting, but Okonkwo is not a sympathetic character and the toxic masculinity and treatment of women and children was often hard to stomach. I had to remind myself a lot, that this is not just from a different culture but also a totally different era (published 1958). The second half is where 'shit hits the fan' in the form of the White Man, or better said, white missionaries of the Christian faith. It's hard and haunting to read how their culture gets belittled and pushed aside step by slow step and how Okonkwo's world gets smaller and smaller. It left me with deeply mixed and troubled feelings. I'm glad that babies weren't killed but saved by the priests, but at the same time I'm outraged at the audacity of humans to go somewhere and tell others that their way of living is wrong and then forcing one's own beliefs onto others. This book left me angry and ashamed, thoughtful and melancholy. I've read a few books lately that were better written and more enthralling, but none of those have made me FEEL as much as this one.
Alles zerfällt ist ein facettenreiches, nachdenklich stimmendes Buch. Es lässt einen mit den richtigen Fragen zurück. Und einem grandiosen letzten Kapitel.
Alles zerfällt- aber was ist dieses alles? In der Geschichte zerfällt ein Klan durch das Erscheinen des weißen Mannes. Es werden Fragen nach der Gültigkeit von Rechtssystemen gestellt: Was verstehen wir unter Gerechtigkeit und ist dieser Begriff universell? Es werden Fragen nach Geschlechterdefinitionen gestellt: Was ist Männlichkeit und was Weiblichkeit? Und es werden Fragen nach dem Glauben gestellt: Was ist Religion und was nicht? Auf welchem Fundament steht ein Glaube und welchen Sinn hat er? Wer bestimmt eigentlich, welche Antwort die richtige ist? Gibt es überhaupt ein richtig und ein falsch, ein besser und ein schlechter? Durch das Zitat des Dichters Yeats zu Beginn des Romans wird aber noch etwas anderes thematisiert. Alles zerfällt kann als Auseinanderbrechen der ehemaligen Kolonialmächte gesehen werden. Allein das Erzählen dieser Geschichte, der Geschichte eines Mannes des Igbo-Stamms, kann als ein Akt der Dekolonialisierung gelesen werden.
In this first novel of the trilogy, the reader follows the impact of colonization on an Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Families are torn apart by the new Christian faith some turn to while others remain with their own gods. The colonial power is shown to cruelly punish the African population for any breaking of laws which are not their own, and to otherwise treat them as stupid children at best. What is most fascinating about the novel to me is the different way of story-telling, which reflects the tradition of oral narration very concisely. As a reader, I felt very "spoken to" in a way I haven't experienced with Western/European literary traditions. On looking back now, I am also surprised at how cleverly the author has managed to get a reader of a completely different cultural background to accept the more violent customs of the tribe as something that has to be (the abandoning of newborn twins in the bush, the ritual mutilation of corpses, the beatings and wars between tribes) while making the reader feel the injustice of colonial violence at the same time. The representation seems the key to this: The more violent customs are related in passing, and basically without bloodshed (despite there having to be some), while the colonial violence is represented in all horrid detail. I do not think this unfair treatment, though. If I'd had more spare time, I might possibly have read the book in a single session because it actually (and surprisingly for me) pulled me in right away.
In this first novel of the trilogy, the reader follows the impact of colonization on an Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Families are torn apart by the new Christian faith some turn to while others remain with their own gods. The colonial power is shown to cruelly punish the African population for any breaking of laws which are not their own, and to otherwise treat them as stupid children at best. What is most fascinating about the novel to me is the different way of story-telling, which reflects the tradition of oral narration very concisely. As a reader, I felt very "spoken to" in a way I haven't experienced with Western/European literary traditions. On looking back now, I am also surprised at how cleverly the author has managed to get a reader of a completely different cultural background to accept the more violent customs of the tribe as something that has to be (the abandoning of newborn twins in the bush, the ritual mutilation of corpses, the beatings and wars between tribes) while making the reader feel the injustice of colonial violence at the same time. The representation seems the key to this: The more violent customs are related in passing, and basically without bloodshed (despite there having to be some), while the colonial violence is represented in all horrid detail. I do not think this unfair treatment, though. If I'd had more spare time, I might possibly have read the book in a single session because it actually (and surprisingly for me) pulled me in right away.
Im Buch wird das Leben eines Clans in Nigeria Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts erzählt. Was mich etwas abgeschreckt und geärgert hat, war die Gewalt im Allgemeinen und insbesondere an den Frauen, die sehr stark unterdrückt wurden. Das Buch besteht aus drei Teilen und erst im letzten Teil kommen die Missionare verstärkt zum Vorschein. Der Autor beschreibt, wie durch den Eingriff der Missionare, die Struktur der Gesellschaft des Clans ins Wanken kommt. Die Geschichte hat mich etwas traurig zurück gelassen. Einerseits konnte ich die Gesellschaftsform dieses Clans nicht gut heißen, andererseits kamen die Missionare und haben einfach ihre Gesetze und Religion diesen Menschen aufgedrückt, ohne sich wirklich mit deren Kultur auseinander gesetzt zu haben. Es stellt sich mir die Frage, inwieweit wir Naturvölker so leben lassen sollen/können wir sie wollen? Wo sind die Grenzen? Was ist akzeptabel und wo muss das Gesetz einschreiten?