🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Chinua Achebe
His dad, Isaiah, was an evangelist and a teacher, and his mom, was a blacksmith’s daughter, vegetable farmer, and a leader among church women. Storytelling was a mainstay of the Igbo tradition and was an integral part of the community. Achebe’s sister and mom told him a ton of stories during his childhood, which he repeatedly requested. His education was furthered by the collages that his dad hung on the walls of their home, along with numerous books and almanacs, including a prose adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and an Igbo retelling of Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress. Chinua eagerly anticipated traditional village events, like the frequent masquerade ceremonies, which he’d later recreate in stories and novels he wrote.
All Book Series by Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart and Related Readings
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1959
The University and the Leadership Factor in Nigerian Politics
Book 4 of 15 · published 1988
On Trial for My Country
Book 3 of 8 · published 1967 Anthology · Stanlake Samkange
The Fisherman's Invocation
Book 6 of 8 · published 1980 Anthology · Gabriel Okara
The Marabi Dance
Book 7 of 8 · published 1984 Anthology · Gabriel Okara,Modikwe Dikobe
The Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories
Book 3 of 10 · published 1992
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Chinua Achebe?
His dad, Isaiah, was an evangelist and a teacher, and his mom, was a blacksmith’s daughter, vegetable farmer, and a leader among church women. Storytelling was a mainstay of the Igbo tradition and was an integral part of the community. Achebe’s sister and mom told him a ton of stories during his childhood, which he repeatedly requested.
Which Chinua Achebe series should I start with?
The best place to start is the African Writers series, the earliest of Chinua Achebe's multi-book series: it opens with Chaka (1925) and runs to 8 books across 1925–1996, ending with Yaka (1996). Chinua Achebe's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Chinua Achebe written?
Chinua Achebe has 48 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1925 and 2012. 11 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the African Writers series with 8 books — and 37 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Chinua Achebe's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Chinua Achebe's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are African Writers (1925–1996, 8 books) and African Trilogy (1958–1964, 3 books).
How are Chinua Achebe's books organised into series?
This guide splits Chinua Achebe's 48 books into 2 named series and 37 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: African Writers (8 books, 1925–1996); African Trilogy (3 books, 1958–1964).