Thanks, Achebe...
Eight years ago, I had a tough time inside Landmark. I spent
almost an hour inside the bookstall, holding “Things Fall Apart” on my right
hand and “Anthills of Savannah” on my left. Both the books had the
name of the author 'Chinua' on top of the covers and 'Achebe' at the bottom. Between
Chinua and Achebe, there was a line of praise, which read: “The Classic
Bestseller With More Than 2 Million Copies in Print.” But the interesting part was the one at the bottom, written by Nadine Gordimer, a South African writer.
“Chinua Achebe is gloriously gifted with the magic of an ebullient, generous,
great talent.” Even though I wanted to buy “Anthills of Savannah” (I liked the
title due to some strange reason), it was “Things Fall Apart” that
finally found a place in my bag. Unlike in the cases of Kafka and Pablo Neruda,
no one really introduced me to the world of Achebe. I don’t know how Achebe
entered my world though. Was it because of the African tag?
Back home, I started reading “Things Fall Apart.” Even though Achebe’s prose was simple and straightforward, I had problems with names of people and places he used in the novel. Words like Okonkwo, the name of the lead character, and Umuofia, the village, were a bit difficult to read. But soon Okonkwo and I became friends. We trekked through the Lower Niger, which ended only in the last page, 209. Considered one of the best novels in African literature, the book exposed the complexities of a strong man whose life is dominated by fear and anger. Reading “Things Fall Apart” was a great experience.
Back home, I started reading “Things Fall Apart.” Even though Achebe’s prose was simple and straightforward, I had problems with names of people and places he used in the novel. Words like Okonkwo, the name of the lead character, and Umuofia, the village, were a bit difficult to read. But soon Okonkwo and I became friends. We trekked through the Lower Niger, which ended only in the last page, 209. Considered one of the best novels in African literature, the book exposed the complexities of a strong man whose life is dominated by fear and anger. Reading “Things Fall Apart” was a great experience.
A couple of days after Chinua Achebe died in Boston on March 21, I ran
a search through my bookshelf to see whether “Things Fall Apart” was safe
there. It was. But I was surprised to see a fold-mark on top of Page-74. I hate
folding pages, and I don’t like anyone doing it on my books. But here, the
folding in a way helped me reread an interesting conversation:
“All their customs are
upside-down. They do not decide bride-price as we do, with sticks. They haggle
and bargain as if they were buying a goat or a cow in the market.”
“That is very bad,”
said Obierika’s eldest brother. “But what’s good in one place is bad in another
place. In Umunso they do not bargain at all, not even with broomstick. The
suitor just goes on bringing bags of cowries until his in-laws tell him to
stop. It is a bad custom because it always leads to a quarrel.”
“The world is large,”
said Okonkwo. “I have even heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to
his wife and her family.”
“That cannot be,” said
Machi. “You might as well say that the woman lies on top of the man when they
are making the children.”
Comments
Unlike my blogger friend, though, I vividly remember how, when and where I stumbled upon this African novel. It was a dozen years ago when I was already bowled over by Chinua Achebe's compatriot Ben Okri that I chanced upon the senior author's name -- and soon found his masterpiece in a bookstall in Chennai, where I was working those days.
Soon I happened to find my future wife. During our initial chats, the girl revealed that the second name of her email ID was ajnabi. Impulsively (and inexplicably) it reminded me of Chinua's second name; so much so I asked her (jokingly) if she was Nigerian.
Late last year, while surfing an e-commerce site that also sells books, I got reminded that I've yet to read the 'TFA' sequels. Typically, I forgot about it within days.
I must now buy 'No Longer At Ease' and 'Arrow of God'.
('Anthills of the Savannah' can possibly afford to wait.)
Re your habit of not folding down pages - I too used to feel that way, but sometimes, when I'm reading to review and dont have a paper/ comp on hand, I do fold down the pages that move/ strike me. Of course, only if its my own book; if not, i note the page number somewhere, even on my phone...
That folded down page's passage was indeed interesting! I like his language too - very neat...
Will try and get hold of his book...
thanks for sharing :)