Exilio (Trilogía Africana) (Spanish Edition)

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Dominate is the right word because that's Okonkwo's way. In village life, with his wives and children, he rules with an iron will. And when the "white man" shows up in the village, you knew that Okonkwo would be the wall of resistance. If you are interested in African culture, historical fiction, good writing, well here is your book. View all 4 comments. I really enjoyed this book! It was the first book we read in my contemporary world literature class and it stirred some really good discussion.

I'm all about any conversation in which I can discuss dismantling the patriarchy, and this book definitely dealt a lot with sexism, which is a topic I find infuriating yet interesting. I thought this was a I really enjoyed this book! I thought this was a great book to discuss and it was really interesting as far as learning the culture and religion of Nigerian villages! I can't wait to read and discuss more books in this class! Achebe's classic is a quick and interesting read albeit with a depressingly realistic end. My curiosity will most likely lead me to more of his work and I enjoyed the narrative style.

The ambiguities of cultural clash with an obvious misbalance of power and the two different kinda of brutality in the conflict were thought-provoking and painful to read because they were surely even worse in real life. View all 10 comments. If 'Things Fall Apart' were written 40 years earlier it would have probably been ignored both in Africa and the West.

If it had been written 40 years later, it would have been seen as good postcolonialist novel, but just one of many. Whenever I buy a book for someone as a gift I always include a bookmark, its one of those things I inherited from my parents. As a result of which, whenever I see some nice or quirky or unusual bookmarks I buy them. A few years ago I bought about ten long metal markers on which were engraved the 50 books one 'ought to have read'.

Looking down the list I saw this one and ticked it off as one I had read, though I didn't remember it very well. Then a few months ago my book-club opted to read it. As Whenever I buy a book for someone as a gift I always include a bookmark, its one of those things I inherited from my parents. As I began to read three things happened. Firstly, I realized I had never read it before, secondly I was blown away by it and thus thirdly I wholeheartedly realize why it is engraved on that bookmark.

The story is simply told. A wrestling hero in West Africa rules the roost of his home and village and his reputation keeps him godlike almost in everyone's regard. Then he accidentally kills one of his clan and he must go into exile for a few years. When he returns all has changed and he finds it impossible to regain his previous position. The colonial powers and the 'attached missionaries' have taken up the ruling status and, cut adrift from everything he was and stood for, Okonkwo follows his world's example and 'falls apart'.

That is the story but Achebe takes this and creates something unimaginably beautiful. His hero is a bully, vicious, impatient and arrogant. He is cruel and heartless and totally unattractive and yet, and yet, Achebe succeeds in making you care for him and feel the agony of his confusion as the world he knew and dominated is swept aside by a crass disregard for the history and traditions by the 'enlightened colonial rulers'.

Three short quotations to intimate the gift of Achebe.

It captures beautifully and simply the doom-laden drum beat that Achebe had said was echoing through the jungle throughout that scene. In the hand of a true poet nothing need be explicit. The words were like the drops of frozen rain melting on the dry plate of the panting earth. Nwoye's callow mind was greatly puzzled. Here Achebe, again understated, bringing home the idea of the people moulded and created from the land. That close link with the land which those who were coming to 'help them' were supremely failing to understand.

Alien rites and experiences unexplained but imposed would wreak havoc unless couched in the terms of the world in which their hearer lived and grew. And finally 'Umuofia was like a startled animal with ears erect, sniffing the silent, ominous air and not knowing which was to run.

The freedom Achebe uses here is one which many writers might shy from now in fear of being misinterpreted or misunderstood. Achebe's authorial voice simply impressed me here. He is writing out of the lived experience of his characters and we choose to sit on the sidelines and observe or enter in and begin to sense a little of their pain. As a middle class brit in 21st Century Uk I can never feel the agony or devastation of Okonkwo, Chinua Achebe manages to make me somewhat ashamed that that is the case and for that I acknowledge his amazing skill and thank him for it.

View all 8 comments. View all 13 comments. This is my new favorite book because within five minutes, a person's reaction will tell me how defensive they are about being considered racist, whether or not they've been accused that minute. This is an excellent way to identify racists, for fun and profit. One guy actually said there was literally no parallel or This is my new favorite book because within five minutes, a person's reaction will tell me how defensive they are about being considered racist, whether or not they've been accused that minute.

One guy actually said there was literally no parallel or point of reference for Okonkwe's behavior in America and that it was literally impossible to understand how he could be so brutal. Which is funny, just really hilarious. Since he basically claimed that America does not have: Farms This is wonderful news. I will inform all farmers and domestic abuse victims forthwith; their troubles are over.

Anycase, this book made me think and gave me a much needed different camera angle on literature especially the Colonially linked kind and that's all I really asked of it. I guess you could consider me a happy customer, in that respect. I gotta admit I did not enjoy the book at first, but a few chapters in it got me. I'm still on the fence with Achebe, since the few books I have read by him have left me with bittersweet memories of Objective innocence towards atrocities committed in the name of colonialism.

I feel narrative objectivity was a crucial aspect of Achebe's storytelling, but I can't say I enjoy how he writes. I loved his thorough yet simplistic introduction to Ibo culture and language, as well as the juxtaposition of I gotta admit I did not enjoy the book at first, but a few chapters in it got me. I loved his thorough yet simplistic introduction to Ibo culture and language, as well as the juxtaposition of christian faith over native beliefs.

Powerful ending and colorful characters; overall, a good literary experience. Looking forward to more Nigerian Literature. He tells us of the unremitting hard work invested by these people in agriculture and their proud self-sufficiency, of the fascinating mix of folklore, dance and music which breathes an imaginative vigor in the everyday life and celebrations of Igbo society.

Achebe never looks past the imperfections and never offers any deliverance. Because these are things which are not within his bounds; Igbo society bristles with life and decomposes as any society would, which battles the invasion of colonialism while harboring sinister limitations. What is posited against this idea of weakness is the idea of strength that constructs itself only with the negation of sensitivity: He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else — with a heavy hand.

It puts a huge limitation on the individual and his self-exploration because the end of any such journey has been pre-decided. There are no alternatives considered, no mutability allowed. The latter is considered extremely undesirable in context of the former and there is a constant attempt to distance the two. This is how masculinity in Igbo society is understood and defined; in a constant opposition with femininity, by keeping maleness in a domain separate from all things apprehended as female. The only realm in which the feminine is respected, its power recognized, and its voice heard is the realm of divinity - the earth goddess of fertility, the motherland which protects its warrior son in adverse times, the prophetic priestess of Agbala.

In ordinary life and in the local space, the woman loses the voice and agency she has in the orbit of divinity. Storytelling has a central place in Igbo society. Nwoye has a great love for the stories of his mother and Ikemefuna. The feminine stories more beautifully and harmoniously integrate humanity with nature. They are more in line with the communitarian values of the Igbo society and the animism of its religion; a reminder of how life exists not just inside the territory of man and his associations, a gentle acceptance of difference and discord that is inherent in such a framework.

This is contradictory to the masculine stories which are based on tales of brute force and decimation. It is an ailment that plagues not just Nwoye but the whole Igbo society; it handicaps language and expression. One of the major reasons why Igbo society was unable to protect its culture, traditions and religion from missionaries and colonialism was this rigid conception of masculinity. Christianity assimilated everything that was considered odious, cancerous, throw way by the Igbos; the outcast osus, women who had been the most compromising victims of patriarchy, and tortured souls like Nwoye who finally found a space which gave voice for the criticism of its sinister practices.

Everything that was broken, battered and overridden by its obsessive exaltation of masculinity, found a space to accumulate and build up; something that was always denied within their existence in Igbo society. Its major failure was that it failed to recognize these cracks within. It failed to remedy this condition and reinvent.

It never relented its grasp on individuals like Okonkwo who grew, lived and distorted in this calcified cell. This is a powerful and poetic novel. I'm not sure it belongs in a category. It really seems incomparable to anything I've read before. There were some difficult things. For one, I don't think the sense of place was well established, which is insane when you think that it's often described as a novel about a place Africa.

I know it's Africa, but where in Africa? This was not established. I know the author is Nigerian, so I assumed it was in Nigeria, but this wasn't clear to me in the reading. P This is a powerful and poetic novel. Perhaps there's a reason for that and it was missed on me. This was my first reading, so I may have completely missed the obvious and need a re-reading. Besides that minor critique, Things Fall Apart is a beautiful story written by a masterful poet.

Achebe's voice is not only unique, but it's beautifully raw and alive. There were two passages that nearly jumped off the page. One of them was the description of locusts descending. Sometimes writers are forced to write about experiences that are foreign to them. Sometimes their accounts succeed, sometimes they don't. When Okonkwo's village is attacked by locusts, it's very clear that Achebe knows first hand what this feels and looks like: They were the harbingers sent to survey the land. And then appeared on the horizon a slowly-moving mass like a boundless sheet of black cloud drifting towards Umuofia.

Soon it covered half the sky, and the solid mass was now broken by tiny eyes of light like the shining star dust. It was a tremendous sight, full of power and beauty. I recommend this novel for that alone. It's also breathtaking to go back and read this passage and realize that it's a metaphor for what's to come. Achebe also knows what it's like to have a first rain after a dry season: It was sudden and tremendous. For two or three moons the sun had been gathering strength till it seemed to breathe a breath of fire on the earth.

All the grass had long been scorched brown, and the sands felt like live coals to the feet.

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Evergreen trees wore a dusty coat of brown. The birds were silenced in the forests, and the world lay panting under the live, vibrating heat. And then came the clap of thunder. It was an angry, metallic and thirsty clap, unlike the deep liquid rumbling of the rainy season.

A mighty wind arose and filled the air with dust. Palm trees swayed as the wind combed their leaves into flying crests like strange and fantastic coiffure. Things Fall Apart is important, but not only as a novel of African experience, but also as a work of art.

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Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a substantial and illuminating piece of African literature written by its author in the English language with the purposes of not only portraying the Nigerian tribal culture through the neutral lenses of one of its native writers, but also to connect with a wider, global audience who very much need a fresh perspective when it comes to how Africans live, worship and govern themselves as families and clans. In this sense, most of the critical acclaim that this Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a substantial and illuminating piece of African literature written by its author in the English language with the purposes of not only portraying the Nigerian tribal culture through the neutral lenses of one of its native writers, but also to connect with a wider, global audience who very much need a fresh perspective when it comes to how Africans live, worship and govern themselves as families and clans.

In this sense, most of the critical acclaim that this novel received is well-deserved. I could definitely agree that it's something schools should require for students to read and analyse in their literature classes. I also think that the broader strokes that Achebe achieved in writing Things Fall Apart must be better appreciated, I believe, with the sequels that followed it.

I myself feel encouraged to pick them up someday.

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For now, I'm content to lavish on the richly detailed significant moments that happened in this book which were relayed with both sheer insight and pragmatism in a scale I thought was admirable and genuine. The central figure of this book is a native named Okonkwo who is considered to be one of the most formidable wrestlers in his clan. He also fancies himself as a self-made man of brute force and hard labor, dedicated in making a name and reputation for himself where his own father before him has failed.

From the very start, readers are immediately informed that Okonkwo despises weakness and laziness since his culture demands a man to be strong with the typical and traditional traits of masculinity. He must be steadfast in dominating his wives and children and must never show affection or leniency even towards his loved ones. The mark of a proud man, indeed, and this singular quality has made him rather unappealing to me. Nevertheless, I thought he was a main character I didn't mind reading about or learning more from since there are other times I think he is also sympathetic enough to warrant some of my understanding and compassion.

I like the fact that Okonkwo values hard work above all else, that he has to strive to attain for a prosperous life, and that he wants the same for his eldest son borne of his first wife. In this sense, I thought he was agreeable enough. With Okonkwo as the focal point, Achebe also explored the inner workings of the clan he is a part of which include some practices and customs that may seem bizarre from an outsider's point-of-view. Much of the book delved upon the daily grind of their lives which include the homemaking and services provided by the women, festivities and certain offerings for their gods especially during harvest seasons, and the clan's very own judicial system which may seem primitive if not outright cruel for modern readers who will encounter it in this book but I think it's a system that works best for them in the long run.

There is also a matter of how Okonkwo treats his wives and children which are questionable, of course, because he can be violent and definitely beats them around whenever they displease him but Achebe never describes this violence in detail which gives the effect that such a occurrence is commonplace.

I didn't particularly feel enraged either only because Achebe can somehow make a reader readily understand that this is simply a matter of how the culture works and whatever preconceived judgments someone of my own upbringing has should be cast aside to enable to view this with a more pragmatic observation. I succeeded, in this case, and bore in mind that a husband beating his wife in the context of their culture is his right because she is his property, and that is a norm I should only consider myself fortunate not to be a part of.

In my perspective, it is nothing other than systematic abuse that is normalized by societal acceptance, but to the clansmen and women it's what is prescribed by their laws and religion. I find it amusing, though, that there was a mention of a certain holiday where husbands cannot beat their wives because it would displease gods. The irony of that did not escape me. I think books like this one and Mahfouz' Palace Walk which I read a week ago have challenged me to keep an open mind when it comes to things which I'm readily prejudiced against especially when it comes to the maltreatment or oppression of women as portrayed in fiction.

I think an author's intention is the defining point in this and so far neither Achebe or Mahfouz has glorified violence or the subjugation of women and their neutrality is helpful and comforting somewhat. Still, there are real social issues and horrors that condemn and harm women across the world; some of those struggles are culturally unique as well, but although Achebe and Mahfouz have touched upon them in their respective books, their stories were ultimately not modes of advocating for it or against it, so readers shouldn't concern themselves too seriously about them when reading either of these books.

Or you may choose to do so but hopefully with caution, tact and good intentions. Such an open discussion is something that might prove to be otherwise fruitful. The second and third parts of the books tells the story of British colonial powers gradually replacing traditional Nigerian governance with their own system of laws.

Some of the British were flexible and sensitive in dealing with traditional culture. Others were rigid in their dealings with Nigerians and showed no respect for traditional ways. I appreciate that fact that the book portrayed the two sides as neither all good or all bad. It provides another example of the fact that change happens, and the story of life is dealing with it.

When it comes to colonial power versus traditional African culture, we all know who came out on top at least in the short term. Of course Nigeria eventually won its independence in But it could be argued that some of instability and internal violence that country has experienced since then may have been caused by the loss of traditional social structures. Things Fall Apart —the debut novel by the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe—is unquestionably an important work. First published in , it has since been translated into over fifty languages, introducing countless readers across the world to the literature of post-colonial Africa.

Yet sometimes importance can be a simple matter of influence. For instance, it would seem strange to critique the importance of The King James Bible on stylistic or narrative grounds. And similarly, when Freud's psychoanal Things Fall Apart —the debut novel by the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe—is unquestionably an important work.

And similarly, when Freud's psychoanalytical theories turned out to be largely mistaken, it didn't lessen the impact they'd had on several generations of psychologists, philosophers and poets. On a more general level, then, the importance of a work can sometimes exist as an extra-textual fact , as a fact concerning the work's place in society. If Things Falls Apart constitutes an important work, it's an important work in this sense. For taken strictly as a novel, I found it to be rather lackluster, with insipid prose and underdeveloped characterization. Of course, the oral history-type feel of the story requires some degree of detachment think: One Hundred Years of Solitude.

But Achebe seems to confuse economy of style with exaggerated simplicity, which places a necessary limit on the novel's expressiveness. As a result, it lacks the emotional import—the aura of horror and uncertainty—that invests the Yeats' poem from which it took its name. To be fair, I did appreciate Achebe's subtle treatment of the clash of cultures.

The Europeans perpetrate cultural genocide, yes. But part of that culture involved sexist social norms and infanticide. Here, I'm reminded of a description Achebe gives of a small-minded British missionary: And black was evil. By almost all acounts, Achebe has written an important and influential work of post-colonial fiction.

Even still, Things Fall Apart struck me as something akin to a promising sketch for a great novel. A great novel, alas, it was not. The novel is good yet is nothing exceptional. The first part and a great of the second are all about African traditions such as weddings, harvesting, celebrating and the like. Because I read parts of Roots by Haley this year, that very aspect in this novel was sort of a deja-vu. However, Haley focused on the positive customs practiced by the African society while Achebe did better by depicting both the humane and the savage features thereof.

The reason I'm giving this book three stars, and not tw The novel is good yet is nothing exceptional. The reason I'm giving this book three stars, and not two, is because the final part was interesting as well as enlightening. It tackles the advent of missionaries and the conflict between church and tribe. Again, the author did well by not siding with either party. He elaborates the good impact Christian teachings left on some tribesmen but not overlooking some of the atrocities committed by religious men. He compares between two religious men, one is understanding and the latter austere.

It is not the fault of religion if it was carried out by unwise people. This part of the book also shows the perplexity of primitive society when introduced to new beliefs with higher spiritual values. Whether they fight, ignore, mock or respect the new religion, it just keeps gaining more ground.

I wasn't happy at all with the characters. Most of them were flat except for the main character, one of his daughters and his younger wife. Even those weren't so real all the time.

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Most characters speak and behave in the same way all over the story. Things Fall Apart is of cultural significance, no doubt. Still, the art of storytelling is somehow missing, particularly in the first two parts. It is overrated but not all bad. The ending of this book gave me shivers. I decided to read Things Fall Apart because of my mother. I've only read a few books based in Nigeria mainly that of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie , and I was keen to learn more about my background and their culture.

My mum then told me a sad but romantic story of someone she used to know who had given her his copy of Things Fa Wow.

My mum then told me a sad but romantic story of someone she used to know who had given her his copy of Things Fall Apart, and how much she enjoyed it. She still has it today and cherishes it, so of course being the secret old romantic that I am, I knew I had to read it.

There is no doubt that Things Fall Apart is a modern classic. From my understanding, at the time that this was written it was unique and shocking. The protagonist is heavily flawed and unlikable, yet you still ache for him as you watch missionaries take over his clan and try to convert them or "save" them, as they'd have you believe.

It's a novel meant to unnerve and to make you second-guess. I'm not going to pretend that this first read-through has given me all the answers, or that I fully understand the message the novel was trying to convey. I did enjoy it though, and I know it is a book that I will come back to - maybe in five years time, when my understanding of African culture is more advanced and I'm in a better place to really appreciate what Achebe is trying to tell me. Classics Clean-up Challenge 1 With bulging shelves of unread classics I decided to take this project in hand.

But as life has taught us many times before: Major themes thread through the book — the tension between the old and the new, tradition and modernism, tribalism and colonialism. The fate of Africa is like the fate of Okonkwo himself — tragic but defiant. Oh, how I hated the beginning portion of Things Fall Apart.

It's funny because the reason I despised it so much was how utterly unsympathetic and unbecoming Okonkwo was. There is a reasonable amount of room for debate concerning if Okonkwo's behavior is justified, but for me, the answer is a plain and simple no. The humorous part is that his violent and aggressive character provoked a similar emotion from myself, in that I wanted to mutilate and severe his limbs for the way he treated his family - and yet, his extreme brutality was what catalyzed my dislike of him in the first place.

As much as I wanted to rate this book poorly, there is an undeniable lesson to be learned and the latter half of the book actually surprised me with its symbolic beauty. Obviously not the best book I have read in school, but it gave me a lot to think about. Want to read more of my reviews? View all 3 comments. I am giving this book three stars only because I am unfamiliar with the culture I read about and have many questions. Such as was this the part of the world that Ken Saro Wiwa came from?

And why weren't people who were more familiar with the language and customs asked to become interpreters? I did enjoy the lyrical language of the story. Many of Achebe's words flowed together like a beautiful song or poem. As I mentioned, maybe if I new more about the culture and region I would have given it a hig I am giving this book three stars only because I am unfamiliar with the culture I read about and have many questions. As I mentioned, maybe if I new more about the culture and region I would have given it a higher rating. I read this for a class I'm currently taking, and while I didn't enjoy reading it I found it to be very powerful.

It was just one big cycle. The main character becomes everything he tried not to be, with one single action. I'm always hyper-aware of how my star-ratings are perceived by other Goodreads users. Three-stars to me is a firm, "liked it, but no part of it really blew me out of the waters". This was a solid novel, and I can see why it's considered a classic, and furthermore, why it's chosen to be taught in high schools and universities.

That being said, I think the placement of this novel on the syllabus of my Mythology class kind of threw me off. I feel like I was on a roll with The Iliad, then The Odysse I'm always hyper-aware of how my star-ratings are perceived by other Goodreads users. I feel like I was on a roll with The Iliad, then The Odyssey, and then with the short but comical Lysistrata -- but this novel just seems a little abrupt and non-topical.

I mean, I understand the role that religion, spirituality and mythology play in the novel, but if I was creating a syllabus, this isn't the"diverse" book I'd choose to follow up classical greek mythology. It lacks drama, adventure and luster. That being said, it's a good book. Not one I'd pick up on my own, but I can see myself looking into some other Achebe novels in the future.

Maybe it's successor, No Longer at Ease, will appeal to me more as it seems to have a romantic element within the plot. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - 3. Things Fall Apart 20 13 Nov 25, Videos About This Book. Chinua Achebe was a novelist, poet, professor at Brown University and critic. He is best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart , which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.

Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with world religion Chinua Achebe was a novelist, poet, professor at Brown University and critic. He became fascinated with world religions and traditional African cultures, and began writing stories as a university student.

After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service and soon moved to the metropolis of Lagos. Achebe writes his novels in English and has defended the use of English, a "language of colonizers", in African literature. In , his lecture An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" became the focus of controversy, for its criticism of Joseph Conrad as "a bloody racist". When the region of Biafra broke away from Nigeria in , Achebe became a devoted supporter of Biafran independence and served as ambassador for the people of the new nation.

The war ravaged the populace, and as starvation and violence took its toll, he appealed to the people of Europe and the Americas for aid. When the Nigerian government retook the region in , he involved himself in political parties but soon resigned due to frustration over the corruption and elitism he witnessed. He lived in the United States for several years in the s, and returned to the U. Achebe's novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of values during and after the colonial era.

Hay un silencio anochecido,. Nueva narrativa guineana s. Nueva Narrativa consta de cuatro relatos cortos: Era el tiempo de la esperanza. Luego siguieron dos poemarios: Desde mi vidriera ambos de Juan Balboa Boneke, donde el autor recoge la larga experiencia del exilio.

En , sale un texto clave: Si bien Las tinieblas Para dar cabida a los distintos y diversos intereses intelectuales que iban surgiendo en el escenario cultural, se crearon diferentes series editoriales llamadas "colecciones". La literatura escrita por mujeres es, sin lugar a dudas, la gran ausente, al menos por ahora, del tremendo auge de la literatura hispano-negroafricana. En la actualidad, dos generaciones de escritores conviven en el espacio literario africano hispano.

Sus integrantes no vivieron en carne propia los horrores de la primera dictadura nguemista; sin embargo, intentan sobrevivir bajo la realidad autoritaria de lo que Juan Balboa llama Obiangnguemismo.

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