Achebe: 'Apart' filled literary void

Critically acclaimed Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe joined philosophy professor Kwame Appiah to discuss the historical and cultural significance of Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” to a packed audience in the Nassau Presbyterian Church on Wednesday night in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the novel’s publication.

Achebe described the factors that moved him to become a writer, citing his desire to see his people’s story told to the world.

“It was in that sense of deprivation that I finally hit on the idea of telling my own story,” he said.

Having grown up reading English literature, Achebe wanted to fill the void of Nigerian writing. He felt as though a “book had been taken out and had not been replaced,” he explained.

“Things Fall Apart” was meant to fill this void. The novel tells the story of Okonkwo, a Nigerian villager who struggles with the changes that British colonialism and Christianity bring to his family and tribal life.

Achebe described Okonkwo as “a flawed hero” because he “did not listen properly to his culture.”

Appiah stepped in to question Achebe on several points during the discussion. Appiah said that one of the things that struck him about “Things Fall Apart” was the way it overcame the challenge of a “perspective that hasn’t been written in before.” Appiah lauded Achebe’s ability to communicate in English about a community that does not speak English.

Achebe noted the importance of his relationship with language and the opportunity he saw of having “two languages sit together” in the novel.

Appiah’s final question to Achebe concerned the current state of Nigeria and issues that he saw as particularly pertinent.

Achebe cited the inability of the people of Nigeria to benefit from the vast natural resources of the country as being of primary concern to him. He blamed the leaders of the country for this problem.

Later, audience member Eric Kuto ’11 said he “totally agreed with [Achebe] that this was all a problem of leadership.”

The discussion opened up to questions from the audience, which included many people who had read the book as a part of the Princeton Public Library’s “Princeton Reads” initiative. One member of the audience quoted “Things Fall Apart” as she asked about the ways African Americans who are caught in between cultures can adopt traditions for themselves.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

“I did not wake up and say ‘I know my identity.’ ” Achebe answered. “I’ve been saying lately that this book wrote me. It taught me what to do.”

“In one sense the book is my child, but in another, the character directed me to tell you what to do,” Achebe said in response to a question about how the book had changed since it was first published.

Achebe was well received by students who had been touched by his books.

“I thought he was very comfortable in his [identities] as a writer, [an] African and [a] Nigerian,” Nene Umoren ’10 said, as she stood in line after the discussion to get her copy of “Things Fall Apart” signed. “He is trying to communicate what it means to be in his community, and he does a very good job.”

For some, the experience was particularly moving. Kuto, who grew up in Kenya reading Achebe’s books, said, “This was an unbelievable experience for me. To get to hear Achebe himself answer questions I’ve had has been really amazing.”

The event was organized by Labyrinth Books owner Dorothea Von Moltke, who heard about celebrations of the anniversary at a book convention. Von Moltke said she sought to create a “coalition of partners” that included Princeton Public Library, the Carl A. Fields Center and the Princeton African Students Union. The audience comprised students, faculty and members of the Princeton community.