Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has named Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel Things Fall Apart the greatest African book of all time, according to a report published by Daily Post Nigeria on Friday, October 9.

Edochie is closely associated with the novel through his portrayal of its central character, Okonkwo, in the Nigerian Television Authority’s (NTA) television adaptation. The production brought him national and international recognition and remains one of the defining works of his acting career.

In a 2015 interview with Vanguard, Edochie described the production as a turning point in his career and said Achebe had given him the name “Ebube Dike” because he believed the actor had interpreted Okonkwo’s character well.

“People still call me ‘Ebube Dike,’ and before Chinua Achebe died he was calling me Ebube Dike,” he said.

The actor also spoke about the novel’s place in Nigerian filmmaking, arguing that its production stood apart from many contemporary films. “There is nothing to compare with Things Fall Apart considering what we are doing these days,” he said in the interview.

First published in London by Heinemann in 1958, Things Fall Apart follows Okonkwo, a respected warrior and community leader in the fictional Igbo village of Umuofia in southeastern Nigeria. His life begins to unravel as personal conflicts and the arrival of British colonial authorities and Christian missionaries challenge the traditions governing his community.

The novel explores the social organization, religious beliefs, and customs of Igbo society before and during colonial rule. Through Okonkwo’s struggles, Achebe examines the consequences of cultural disruption and the conflict between established traditions and new political and religious systems.

Things Fall Apart became an international success and is widely regarded as one of the foundational works of modern African literature. According to its publisher, Penguin Random House, the novel has sold more than 20 million copies and been translated into 57 languages.

Achebe, who died in 2013 at the age of 82, published several other influential works, including No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), and A Man of the People (1966). However, Things Fall Apart remains his best-known novel and is widely taught in schools and universities internationally.