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Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? - Literature (3) - Nairaland

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Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by emma26(m): 3:51pm On May 21, 2013
Question : Is things fall apart really achebe's best work? Only Achebe has d answer...OP rush down 2 anambra to wake d author
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by Osogagba(m): 4:49pm On May 21, 2013
gudugudumeje: Things Fall Apart is more successful as a political tool than a literary masterpiece. It's a counter narrative to repudiate the western imperial image of Africa. In the process, the number of barbaric acts found expressed there in the book were what finally attracted the average Western European and Americans to buy the book and get it translated to many languages for keep for and to their next generations. That is in order to prove that Africa is barbaric. WHO NOW IS CHASING WHO?

A POSER FOR YOU! Read and record the number yourself.....
Why is it impossible for some people to simply shut up if the issue under discussion is beyond them?
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by ACM10: 4:49pm On May 21, 2013
semid4lyfe: From the Wole Soyinka's Interview About Chinua Achebe Thread



An opinion I agree with.

Arrow of God is denser with detail than Things Fall Apart, with a good deal more technical discussion of the rituals and concepts underlying Igbo religious customs and with a larger and more fleshed-out cast of characters. It is also a far more interesting read IMO.




Have you read Arrow of God? If you did, summarize the novel for us to prove that you've done so.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by vanbonattel: 4:57pm On May 21, 2013
PAGAN 9JA:
I wonder what did Nigerians (IGBOS especially) learn from his work. how many reverted to Traditional Religion?

He did not write his books to convince us to drop our xtian beliefs, himself is a serious xtian. The books were meant to give us a footing about our rich history and they way our ancestors lived.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by cfours: 6:39pm On May 21, 2013
gudugudumeje: Things Fall Apart is more successful as a political tool than a literary masterpiece. It's a counter narrative to repudiate the western imperial image of Africa. In the process, the number of barbaric acts found expressed there in the book were what finally attracted the average Western European and Americans to buy the book and get it translated to many languages for keep for and to their next generations. That is in order to prove that Africa is barbaric. WHO NOW IS CHASING WHO?

A POSER FOR YOU! Read and record the number yourself.....

yes, there is an irony there.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by Arogunmasa(m): 6:59pm On May 21, 2013
A Man of the People IMO
"We ignore man's basic nature if we say, as some critics do, that because a man like Nanga has risen overnight from poverty and insignificance to his present opulence he could be persuaded without much trouble to give it up again and return to his original state.  A man who has just come in from the rain and dried his body and put on dry clothes is more reluctant to go out again than another who has been indoors the whole time.  The trouble with our new nation as I saw it then lying on that bed was that none of us had been indoors long enough to be able to say, to hell with it.  We had all been in the rain together until yesterday." Odilli

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Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by dokia: 8:08pm On May 21, 2013
its the only one everybody knows
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by scampy(m): 9:00pm On May 21, 2013
yuzedo: Arrow of God...

Achebe wrote books that seared your consciousness and took you to the scene in 3rd-party observation. I lived in colonial and post-colonial era simply through his books especially No Longer At Ease. Damn, i don't know how he achieved that ability to transport the reader to the setting of his story and project the thoughts of both himself and his characters.

I remember a funny scene in NLAE where Obi Okonkwo went to see his girlfriend in his small car and because a big chief cabinet minister in a big car had settled the aged gateman, of course there was no respect left to give Obi. At a point when the disrespect was becoming too much, our man Obi chides the old gateman, "Don't be silly!", the gateman promptly fires back, "Be silly!".. CLASSIC! grin grin grin grin

U knw wen u are nt typin frm ur Banana Island, u alwez makes sense.
No pun intended.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by UgChris(m): 9:33pm On May 21, 2013
I think it was what brought him to global limelight. Other of his literary works are also good.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by MajeOfficial: 10:19pm On May 21, 2013
PAGAN 9JA:
I wonder what did Nigerians (IGBOS especially) learn from his work. how many reverted to Traditional Religion?
that's not what the book was about
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by In4matic: 11:21pm On May 21, 2013
utumunta: Whatever one might say; Achebe was a master storyteller whose works keep one glued to it, till the last page.
My best of Achebe's works is ; "Arrow of gods". It was highly exhillarating and confusing. What happened to Ezeulu?
Did Ezeulu carry the sacrifices of his people beyond the altar and was punished by the gods?
Did he conspire with the whiteman against his people in the Okperi land case and in sending Oduche to school?
Was he trying to direct the hand of the gods by secretly paving the way for Nwafo to succeed him as chief priest?
Was he a haughty and vengeful chief priest that used his office to settle scores?
Was his, the case of the proverbial dog that answered two masters at the same time and broke it's jaw in the process?
Torn between his allegiance to his god and community, he aligned with the former, who refused to take sides with him against the people. Or did Ulu choose to destroy itself when it's potency was in question?
Ezulu was a man misundestood by his god, wives, friends ,family ,clan ,reader and writer(Achebe)!


Achebe admitted, in a forward to this masterpiece that, it his only work, he could be caught reading over again. My take is that ,this was a tribute to the sacred Idemili deity of the Ogidi people, where he hailed from.
Shame i never got the opportunity to ask him the question.

Bravo my brother. you have just said some of the qualities arrow of God stands for. it is one book i never get tired of reading. when i was younger, i'd read it cover to cover only to start over again at the beggining. there was no month i'd not read that book at least once. it was pure wisdom captured in pages.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by arrester: 6:34pm On May 22, 2013
Hello 4peace, Things fall apart was translated into Yoruba,if my memory serves me right,I think by Prf. Akinwumi Isola under the tittle "itan Okonkwo". The story of Okonkwo.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by olumidazz: 8:59pm On May 22, 2013
Ironically I dint find any of his works interesting during secondary school days. I dozed off in class at literature classes. Reading a novel where ibo traditional religious doctrines as well as interactions with imaginary GODs( Amadioha) was narrated, was not in the least fascinating to me.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by Neduzze5(m): 11:46pm On May 22, 2013
I prefer Things Fall Apart to all his other novels. I can pick up TFA and read it all over again without pausing. I can summarize TFA right now if I am asked to do so but although I have read Arrow Of God countless times, I can't even remember what it's talking about. I even prefer Chike and the River to Arrow Of God.


So for me, Things Fall Apart is Achebe's best novel!
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by orgasticdance: 3:33pm On May 24, 2013
TFA is tucked in my "to be read some day" shelve but I've read two of his non fiction works: the trouble with Nigeria and There was a country. I haven't read TFA yet because it felt too familiar( I'm Igbo and grew up in a village so it was like duh i know this nah, ok I may be wrong) and as an adult my sense of detachment from the master's classic grew for the same reasons WS pointed out; of TFA being a counter narrative to a foreigner's view of us; there was something contrived abut a work being a masterpiece for that reason..That's why I'm inclined to agree with those who say it wasn't his best work from a literal stand point.

Aha, so TFA hasn't been translated to any Nigerian language yet? But has been translated to 50 other non nigerian languages? Food for thought...
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by crib004: 12:25pm On Jul 22, 2013
Things fall apart is the best of his writings, it covers nnearly all human endeavours
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by tpia6: 3:32pm On Oct 31, 2014
I'll be rereading the trilogy at some point.

Haven't read them in a while.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by tpia6: 3:33pm On Oct 31, 2014
arrester:
Hello 4peace, Things fall apart was translated into Yoruba,if my memory serves me right,I think by Prf. Akinwumi Isola under the tittle "itan Okonkwo". The story of Okonkwo.



Hmm, that's interesting.


He gave it a softer title.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by tpia6: 3:34pm On Oct 31, 2014
crib004:
Things fall apart is the best of his writings, it covers nnearly all human endeavours

He has other works that are just as good if not better.

Girls at war for example.
Re: Is “Things Fall Apart” Really Chinua Achebe's Best Work? by tpiadotcom: 7:36am On May 31, 2015
slap1:
Even Achebe himself said that Arrows of God is his most loved; the one you're likely to find him reading again.

I'd say Arrow of God and Girls at War, although I might not have read all his works yet sha.

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