On June 17, 1958, the novel "Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe was published by Heinemann.
It is considered the most widely read book in African literature. An excerpt from the article:
"Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe’s classic 1958 novel, tells the story of the changing nature of a fictional African village as seen through the life of one of its most prominent men, Okonkwo, the novel’s protagonist. Throughout the story, we see the village before and after contact with European settlers and the effect this has on the people and the culture. In writing this novel, Achebe created not just a classic work of literature, but also a landmark representation of the destructive consequences of European colonialism."