Product Description

Ezeulu, the chief priest of Ulu, has rivals in the tribe, in the white government and even in his own family. Surrounded by trouble, he adopts an increasingly cosmic view of events - surely in the battle of the dieties, he is merely an arrow in the bow of his God?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #135053 in Books
• Published on: 1986-09-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
A Man of the People (1966) represented the more contemporary, sophisticated stance toward which Achebe, along with his native West Africa, has progressed. This is one of his earlier novels, close in both theme and texture to Things Fall Apart (1959), dealing with a primitive Nigerian village in the '20's when the "masked spirit of today," the white man, appears and is to be appeased. But not by Ezeulu, "the arrow in the bow of his God" and the indomitable Chief Priest. Priest of six villages, presides over the abusive quarrelling of his wives and children, the factious disputes of his people, and now faces the unmasked spirit of Captain Winterbottom, a very limited and intransigent District Officer trying to put a road through...also challenging Ezeulu's temporal and spiritual suzerainty.... Achebe is the dominant talent of the younger African writers and this book is empowered by the primitive strength and shrewdness of a tribal civilization whose immunity to the outside world is just beginning to give way. Much of its humor and eloquence resides in its proverbial speech patterns, and since the "stone rarely succeeds like the eye in hitting the mark," do not underestimate the sympathetic accuracy of Achebe's unwavering eye. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

A CLASSIC
Achebe's Arrow of God is no doubt the best novel written by an African and one of the best novels in the world. It gives me an inferiority complex and makes me believe there are writers and there are talented writers. Achebe is a talented writer. He's a god. And his pen is an arrow.

Absolutely wonderful
ARROW OF GOD is just as good as THINGS FALL APART, if not better. The story is based on the exotic traditional village culture of the Igbo nation in Western Nigeria. It is one of the African best literary works I have read. Achebe took us into Ezeulu's changing world and did what few writers can do- make us understand it all. It reminded me of other traditional African stories such as USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, MATIGARI, and OUR SISTER KILLJOY. I enjoyed all of these stories and recommend them to lovers of African literature.

An epic tale of colonialism, power and tradition.
Arrow of God, the second of Achebe's novels of colonialism, takes place in the 1920's Nigeria - after the establishment of British presence. The "arrow of god" is Ezeulu, the chief priest of the god Ulu who is the patron deity of an Ibo village. Hence Ezeulu holds the role of initiating the rituals that structure village life, a postition vested with a great deal of power and trust. After his village rejects his advice to avoid war with a neighboring village, Ezeulu finds himself at odds with his own people and praised by the British administrators. The British, seeking a candidate to install as village chieftain, make him an offer, which he refuses. Caught in the middle with no allies, Ezeulu slowly loses his grip on reality and slips into senility. Through Ezeulu, Achebe was able to present a study in the loss of power. Indeed, this is a well written educational literature and probably one of the best books I have ever read. I truly recommend it!!!