Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chaka | 1925 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
| 2 | Things Fall Apart | 1958 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
| 3 | On Trial for My Country | 1967 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
| 4 | Idu | 1970 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
| 5 | The Voice | 1970 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
| 6 | The Fisherman’s Invocation | 1980 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
| 7 | The Marabi Dance | 1984 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
| 8 | Yaka | 1996 | Chinua Achebe | Buy |
The African Writers series listed here collects titles associated with the Heinemann African Writers Series, one of the most significant publishing projects in African literary history. Launched in 1962 with Things Fall Apart as one of its early titles, the series published novels, poetry, and plays by African authors at a time when few Western publishers were interested in African writing. Chinua Achebe served as the founding editorial adviser and had a direct hand in choosing which writers and books appeared under the imprint.
The titles in this collection include work by other African authors that Achebe helped bring to print, such as Thomas Mofolo’s Chaka, Flora Nwapa’s Idu, Gabriel Okara’s The Voice, and Pepetela’s Yaka. These books represent a cross-section of mid-to-late twentieth century African literature. The Heinemann series ran for decades and published over 300 titles, playing a major role in establishing a global readership for African fiction and poetry.