Blurp: Chinua Achebe is niet alleen Nigeria's bekendste schrijver, die met zijn romans een solide basis gelegd heeft voor de Engelstalige Nigeriaanse literatuur, maar ook de meest gelezen Engelstalige Afrikaanse schrijver, die op de zwarte Afrikaanse literatuur een enorme invloed uitoefent. De roman Pijl van God concentreert zich net als Een wereld valt uiteen op de confrontatie van de Ibocultuur en de westerse aanwezigheid. In Pijl van God omschrijft Chinua Achebe in zijn karakteristieke monumentale taal de spanningen die de culturele clash aan het begin van deze eeuw opriep en de wijze waarop men op de nieuwe invloeden reageerde.
Samenv.: Ezeulu, de grote priester die voor zes Ibodorpen in Oost-Nigeria de geregelde verbinding onderhoudt met de bovenmenselijke krachten die het wel en wee van de plaatselijke samenleving bepalen stemt er mee in dat een van zijn zoons zich laat inwijden in de cultuur van de koloniale bezetter, maar weigert zelf door de Britse districtscommandant te worden benoemd tot regionaal opperhoofd. Zijn weigering komt hem op enkele weken gevangenis te staan, waardoor het verlof om de oogst binnen te halen - verlof dat hij alleen kan geven - katastrofaal verlaat wordt. De anglikaanse missie beweert het sein tot de oogst te kunnen geven: reden voor veel dorpelingen om christen te worden. Rond dit gegeven verneemt de westerse lezer een veelheid aan wetenswaardigheden omtrent de levenswijze van de traditionele Ibo-samenleving. Het geheel eigen taalgebruik van de mensen, doortrokken met spreekwoorden, is boeiend, maar vergt enige inspanning.

A good book competently written and very even handed in dealing with the subject matter. There is a tendancy with writers to have the white guys wearing black hats and the black guys the white. But Achebe rightly sees the flaws in both our cultures and the inconsistencies. I assume that Achebe is a black writer born in Nigeria so it gives him a unique perspective on the events in his country. ( )

A good book. Set in an African village in the height of the English Colonial period. Achebe clearly illustrates the traditional culture of the not clearly defined West African country (unless I missed that part) and that of the White English administrators.

My only complaint is that I had trouble keeping up with the African names. Kinda bad considering I have two African names.

But really well written, I could almost taste the food described. I had visions of foo foo dancing in my head while I read. I knew the people he described, surely you've meet an Obika.

The ending is sad, I mean you know what happens. If this is meant as a warning for developing countries, the lesson is a bitter one. How do you protect your clearly defined culture from a hegemonic pressure? What lessons does this story hold for new states, fragile democracies? ( )

This novel is a story of how individuals perceive and carry out their roles in society in the context of a community of Nigerian villages within the oversight of a British governmental authority. As typical for Achebe, there is no simple "us vs. them" mentality; instead, each character experiences his or her own view of what is taking place, and what actions to take next. The novel is a marvelous depiction of a history written through individual accounts rather than through an objective outsider perspective.

More than this, it is also a parable of religion and worldview in collision. Christianity and the traditional religion do not simply conflict with each other in the story; they intermingle with and are ultimately affected by philosophical pragmatism. Characters on both sides of the religious divide manipulate events through their own religious interpretations; ultimately one group triumphs and the other does not, but this serves as a warning that an apparently religious triumph (such as winning the affections of a large group) enacted through the efforts of human will, rather than actual divine will, perches precariously in a position from which it can just as easily be toppled by the next mistake in judgement of human will. There are a good number of Christians who would do well to read this story and then take a critical look at their own behaviour. Achebe makes no claim about absolute truth here, but shows in a subtle and effective way that individuals can align philosophically with God and still act according to their own plan, with potentially disastrous effects.

This publication is the second edition of this book and begins with a preface in which Achebe explains that he has made some alterations to clean up the text. I have not read the first edition and can not assess the extent of these alterations or whether they were appropriate. I can say that the preface, while not being specific, betrays the eventual outcome of the book, which may come as a disappointment to readers who want to be surprised. Thus, readers might be best advised to skip over the preface until after finishing the story. ( )

all I can say is, Chinua Achebe is awesome. I’ve read three books by him (Things Fall Apart, Anthills of the Savannah, and Arrow of God) and they are all first-rate, #5, everyone should read these books.

repeating myself:

the man is amazingly talented with words, world-building, and characterization. he can be very economical in his writing, straight to the quick and every word, every image is exactly what is necessary to convey his meaning and carry the story. he can also be very philosophical and soul-searching, when his characters are and when the situation calls for it. his stories are very human and real--- there's no real heroes or villains or any "correct" viewpoints involved (though a character might think of his viewpoint as supreme) or preaching of a moral. you feel as if you know the people personally somehow, as if they are quite real, and correspondingly complicated without being constructedly so. you come to understand the world they populate in a short time, as if you've been there, as if you could put the book down and find yourself there.

amazingly talented.

Arrow of God is told primarily from the viewpoint of a chief priest of an Igbo village (Umuaro; several villages as one, really), but also from that of the British man on the spot and his subordinates. the reality each person experiences (not only each side- ie, white/black- but also, yes, each person) is very different, and yet as they interact more and come to their own (often bizarre yet predictable) understandings of each other, their realities began to converge. not that either side ever really fully and truly understands each other, but they go from being separate entities to sharing in a common future.

Achebe's thorough discussion of the events brings the reader to realize many aspects of life and truth in the story. for just one example,the book documents the disintegration of the traditional religion (again, not total disintegration, but the toppling from its dominance in the community and taking a diminished and quite secondary or even forgotten role) , and in a way that makes total sense in the context of that religion (and the accompanying culture). not just, the Christians came and the Christians shone their truth forth and yeah verily we all converted. no, we get the real, complicated story of how the priest and even the god itself misstepped and fell from power, with the white religion as a context, but not as the defining factor.

he's such an engaging writer. I actually picked this book up after I had already started The Hamlet (Faulkner), and I couldn't put it down. even though I had already started in on William Faulkner! yes, if I may be so bold, I think Chinua Achebe is the William Faulkner of Nigeria. truly great, truly great. ( )