Chimamanda Adichie

**Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Biography** Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born Grace Ngozi Adichie on September 15, 1977, in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria) is a highly acclaimed Nigerian writer whose work spans novels, short stories, and nonfiction, primarily focusing on themes of Nigerian culture, gender, race, and identity. She is regarded as one of the most prominent literary voices of her generation, successfully bringing contemporary African literature to a global audience. **Early Life and Education** Adichie was born into an Igbo family and grew up on the campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where her father was a professor and her mother was the university’s first female Registrar. She initially studied medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria for a year and a half before leaving for the United States at the age of 19. In the U.S., she continued her education, graduating from Eastern Connecticut State University. She went on to receive a Master’s degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University. She further pursued African studies at Yale University, completing a second master's degree in 2008. **Career Progression and Notable Works** Adichie began her writing career with a poetry collection, *Decisions* (1997), and a play, *For Love of Biafra* (1998). Her career gained international recognition with the publication of her debut novel, *Purple Hibiscus*, in 2003. This was followed by the internationally successful novel, *Half of a Yellow Sun* (2006), which addresses the Nigerian Civil War (Biafran War). Her third novel, *Americanah* (2013), explored the experiences of a Nigerian immigrant in the United States and the concept of race. Adichie has also published a collection of short stories, *The Thing Around Your Neck* (2009). Beyond her fiction, she has achieved significant recognition for her essays and public speaking on feminism, notably the book-length essay *We Should All Be Feminists* (2014) and the epistolary book *Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions* (2017). **Major Achievements** Adichie has accumulated numerous honors throughout her career. *Purple Hibiscus* won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa and overall) in 2005. *Half of a Yellow Sun* was awarded the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction in 2007 and was later recognized as the "Best of the Best" winner of the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction in 2015. In 2008, Adichie received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as the "Genius Grant." Her work has been translated into over thirty languages, and she has given influential TED Talks, including "The Danger of a Single Story" and "We Should All Be Feminists." **Current Status** Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie continues to be an active and influential writer and public intellectual, splitting her time between Nigeria and the United States. She is an outspoken advocate on social issues and feminism, with her works being studied globally. She has returned to fiction writing, with new work released in 2025 following a hiatus from novel publication after *Americanah*.