<Tr> <Th> Publisher </Th> <Td> William Heinemann Ltd . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Publication date </Th> <Td> 1958 </Td> </Tr> <P> Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe . Published in 1959, its story chronicles pre-colonial life in the south - eastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century . It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, one of the first to receive global critical acclaim . It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English - speaking countries around the world . Achebe's debut novel, it was first published by William Heinemann Ltd in the UK; in 1962, it was also the first work published in Heinemann's African Writers Series . The title of the novel was borrowed from W.B. Yeats' 1919 poem "The Second Coming". </P> <P> The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo ("Ibo" in the novel) man and local wrestling champion in the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia . The work is split into three parts, with the first describing his family, personal history, and the customs and society of the Igbo, and the second and third sections introducing the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on the Igbo community . </P>

Where did chinua achebe get the title things fall apart