Africa Turns the Page: The Novels That Shaped a Continent

On Monday of Last Week

Half of a Yellow Sun

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( ; born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian author and activist. Regarded as a central figure in postcolonial feminist literature, she is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013). Her other works include the book of essays We Should All Be Feminists (2014); Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017); a memoir, Notes on Grief (2021); and a children's book, Mama's Sleeping Scarf (2023).
Born and raised in Enugu, Adichie studied medicine and pharmacology for a year and half at the University of Nigeria. At 19, she left Nigeria for the United States to study at Drexel University, and would later study at three universities: Eastern Connecticut State University, Johns Hopkins University, and Yale University. She first published Decisions, a poetry collection, in 1997, which she followed with a play, For Love of Biafra, in 1998. She published Purple Hibiscus in 2003. Her father's story during the war supplied material for her second novel Half of a Yellow Sun. 
Citing Chinua Achebe and Buchi Emecheta as inspiration, Adichie's style juxtaposes Western and African influences, with particular influence from the Igbo culture. Most of her works, including her writing and speeches, explore the themes of religion, immigration, gender and culture. She also uses fashion as a medium to break down stereotypes, and was recognised with a Shorty Award in 2018 for her "Wear Nigerian Campaign". Adichie's 2009 TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story" is one of the most viewed TED Talks and her 2012 talk, "We Should All Be Feminists" was sampled by American singer Beyoncé as well as featured on a T-shirt by the French fashion house Dior in 2016. Adichie has received numerous academic awards, fellowships, and other honours, among them a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008 and induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017.



Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Africa Turns the Page: The Novels That Shaped a Continent