tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3890767940009117053.post6325911013628254354..comments2024-02-23T09:40:38.879+01:00Comments on Books of gold: 8. “Things Fall Apart” di Chinua AchebeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3890767940009117053.post-45898635993651104392009-09-30T18:58:30.040+02:002009-09-30T18:58:30.040+02:00Thanks for the translation. I love it. It is fasci...Thanks for the translation. I love it. It is fascinating the way you compared Okonkwo to Eugene. It came to mind but I never put the linkage down. Adichie is the protege of Achebe and it is no wonder that you could make such a link. Besides, in the last story in The Thing Around Your Neck the link is so vivid that one cannot but to comment on it. These two books also show that religious fanaticism is not within the confines of anyone person or within the precinct of one religion but a fact of life that pervades all people and religions. Thanks very much.ImageNationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06021414643103601330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3890767940009117053.post-52569018443553397352009-08-11T23:21:24.932+02:002009-08-11T23:21:24.932+02:00Ahah, I forgot that I used to write reviews in Ita...Ahah, I forgot that I used to write reviews in Italian during that period. <br />However, I'll try to translate very briefly: <br /><br />First of all, I was enthralled on reading the statement on the cover, something that Mandela said. In fact, he used to read Achebe when he was in prison and he said that he is "the writer in whose company the prison walls fall apart". <br />I was reading this book as part of a project of reading the masterpieces of African literature. I had just finished "Une si longue lettre" and was hoping to read Dangarembga's "Nervous Conditions" (which I haven't done yet, because I can't find it in bookstores).<br />I liked this novel very much, becuase it's interesting to learn about traditions in West Africa before Christianity came. One of the strenghts of the book is the fact that there is not a "monolithic" point of view on the arrival of Christian missionaries in West Africa. Achebe doesn't judge Christianity and animism but describes the invasion of a different culture and religion in a village that maybe was not ready for such a sudden change. Many of the superstitions and traditions of the villagers are swept away without a second thought and there is no trace of a religious syncretism that could have been an interesting development for the villagers.<br />Okonkwo, the main character, is somehow similar to Eugene in Adichie's "Purple Hibiscus", and in fact I think I've heard that Adichie was inspired by this book and by this particular character. Okonkwo has the same flaws that Eugene has: on one hand he became a rich man because he worked hard and built his fortunes from nothing, therefore he is respected by everyone in his village. On the other hand, he is not able to lead a happy life at home with his family: he is violent and dispotic in a way that is very similar to Eugene's in "Purple Hibiscus".<br />Sometimes the narrative style was a bit boring, but I think it's because African literature in the 1950s was still a bit "green". However, at the time it msut have been something quite new to write about tribal Nigeria in a way that westerners could understand without too many problems.<br /><br />On this I would like to add that I found the book easy to read and understand whereas some others African authors that write about tribal people are difficult to me. For example, I read some short stories by Ben Okri and I found many of them uncomprehensible. They often speak about witchcraft (juju) and spirits in a way that stops me from understanding what's the morale of the story. "Things fall apart", however, was something different: it was accesible even for somebody who has only a basic knowledge of West African tribal tradtions.Stefania - The Italian Backpackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02208023950547260256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3890767940009117053.post-23866250321604445892009-08-11T00:47:53.284+02:002009-08-11T00:47:53.284+02:00hahaha i don't read italian. but i believe it ...hahaha i don't read italian. but i believe it is good as alwaysImageNationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06021414643103601330noreply@blogger.com