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‘I WANT TO WRITE A STORY THAT IS COMPLEX AND TRUE’
State of grace
Chimamanda Ngozi Adicbie writes about an Africa far removed from bleak media cliches. Claire Sawers chats to her about superstition and stereotypes
hitnamanda Ngo/i Adichie‘s voice reflects a life split betvveen America and her home country. Nigeria. So while she‘ll enunciate each ol her words clearly and slovvly. she‘s also picked tip that uniquely American habit of adding a
questioning ‘right‘." at the end ol' her sentences. or
throvv ing in a ‘vv hat the heck'. Despite having studied in the 1'8. and mm dividing her time betvveen homes in Maryland and Lagos. 31-year-old Adichic is in no
dottbt abottt her identity. ‘I alvvays consider mysell'
Nigerian: a Nigerian that likes to spend time in America.‘
Adicbie‘s last book. the ()range Pri/e-vvinning novel. Ila/lulu l'c/low Sun drevv gushing praise from home and abroad. and moved l'ellovv Nigerian bestseller author (‘hinua Achebe to say that Adichie \vas ‘endovved vvith the gift of ancient storytellers‘. Her latest. The Thing Around Your Neck. is a vvarm. moving and intelligent collection of short stories. ol'ten l'ocusing on Nigerian immigrants living in America. and the cultural conflicts that their living arrangements throvv up.
’l“or a lot of people. the only Al‘rica they ever see is people dying. or people killing each other] she says. '()l‘ course. Al'rica isn‘t jttst about people starving and dying. Al't'ica isn‘t one story; there are so many.’
As the African and Nigerian diasporas grovv. Adicbie believes they provide plenty of material for vvhat she loves best: storytelling. ‘People move because they want better economic lives. right‘.’ Their lives may not be better socially. or emotionally. bttt they are economically better.‘
34 THE LIST ”.17 At"
So in ‘lmitation'. we meet the wife of a vvealthy
bttsinessman. Nkem has swapped me in Lagos tor
pilates classes and cookie baking in sttbttrban Philadelphia. vvhile her husband stays in Nigeria with a mistress Nkem has just found out about. Another girl vvins the 'American Visa Lottery“. only to be touched tip by her uncle in Connecticut. who believes ['8 life to be a system of ‘give and take'.
‘I never start off vvriting vvanting to challenge certain stereotypes; ljust vvant to vvrite a story that is complex and true.. says Adicbie. vvho describes herself as ‘a happy l'eminist‘. 'And vvhen you do that. you end up challenging certain stereotypes.‘
Adichie’s ovvn background — she is the daughter of a university professor and grevv tip on a campus plagued by 'cult' violence as \vealthy college gangs killed each other with machetes - has influenced her vvriting. as has her Catholic upbringing. 'There‘s something about being raised Catholic that makes me horribly superstitious.‘ she laughs. ‘lt' I‘ve done something wrong. that's God punishing me. Those superstitions mean something to millions of people and l have a lot of respect for them.‘
Never lecturing. alvvays absorbing. Adicbie's graceful studies of human behaviour are a passport into the hearts of her readers. vvhere vvise. strong vvomen ol‘ten steal the limelight. 'I know many vvomen like that. ljust don’t see them often enough in fiction. I think it‘s about time.‘
The Thing Around Your Neck is out now published by Fourth Estate.
lit >l<
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