Quote of the Month - June 2015

"`'Like' is a strong word," Shan said. "So everyone, this book is a memoir, right? It's about tons of stuff, growing up in this all-white town, being the only black kid in my prep school, my mom's passing, all that stuff. My editor reads the manuscript and says, 'I understand that race is important here but we have to make sure the book transcends race, so that it's not just about race[']. And I'm thinking. But why do I have to transcend race? You know, like race is a brew best served mild, tempered with other liquids, otherwise white folk can't sallow it.´"

From Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2013, Anchor Books)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie *1977

Actually, I came across Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her latest book Americanah via my former participants of The English Book Club. While I was abroad for some months they decided to go ahead and chose books on their own to read and discuss. When I returned this spring, I joined them on a meeting and Chimamanda's book was on the list.

I have to admit that I was 'mildly surprised' they had chosen a book with 588 pages! But when I started reading Americanah, I couldn't stop. Timing, rhythm, style, schedule, characters...name it, everything fits its place and just by reading it you get into a flow.
Though, it certainly is not a lovely prose fiction but a rather tough-minded one with lots of bits to chew on. Open for another quote?

"`When I started in real estate, I considered renovating old houses instead of tearing them down, but it didn't make sense. Nigerians don't buy houses because they're old. A renovated two-hundred-year-old mill granary, you know, the kind of thing Europeans like. It doesn't work here at all. But of course it makes sense because we are Third Worlders and Third Worlders are forward-looking, we like things to be new, because our best is still ahead, while in the West their best is already past and so they have to make a fetish of that past.´"

Some tough-minded fiction, just as Chimamanda herself seems to be. When you read her other books and listen to her talk at the TEDxEuston in 2012 you will understand that she is around to question and discuss cultural and societal matters.
With her talk on "We Should all be Feminists" (also published 2014 by Fourth Estate) she claims that equality for women would create equality for men as well, for: "The harder [sic] a man feels compelled to be, the weaker his ego is. And then we do a much greater disservice to girls, because we raise them to cater to the fragile egos of males." So, to make feminism an issue, not only by women but also by men, inequality could be diminished and more men might also become the person they actually are at their core and not trapped in an oppressive 'male' role.

I wonder if Chimamanda had Eugene Achike on her mind when she talked about this destructive 'relationship' between men and women? Eugene, the main character's father in her first novel Purple Hibiscus, a religious zealot intimidating his family both physically and emotionally. An impressive first novel published in 2003 and awarded with the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best First Book in 2005.

How eager Nigerian-born Chimamanda is as an observer of society and a spokesperson for her surroundings became obvious earlier on with her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. Published in 2006, the book covers the times of the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) and the massacres between Hausa and Igbo people during which the Igbo created a new republic, called Biafra, showing 'half a yellow sun' in its flag. Skilfully, she interweaves the lives of her characters with the political events using flashbacks to give a larger picture to her audience.
Not only won the book the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007 but was also made into an impressive Nollywood movie presented at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 (click here for the TIFF trailer).

Born in Enugu, Chimamanda grew up as fifth of six children in the university town of Nsukka, Nigeria. Both parents worked at the university and Chimamanda started studying medicine and pharmacy in Nigeria. In 1996 Chimamanda moved on to studying in the United States of America where she received a bachelor degree (summa cum laude) in communication and political sciences in 2001. Two years later, she completed her master's degree in creative writing and in 2008 a Master of Art's degree in African studies. She currently commutes between Nigeria, teaching creative writing, and the USA.

And very up-to-date: her latest book, Americanah, is currently shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the 'Winning Announcement' will be on 17th June (click here). I am most curious if Chimamanda will be honoured with another award. She certainly deserves it!

P.S.: Interested in all her nominations, awards and honours? Please check wikipedia for the list!