Chimamanda weaver of the folktales of Igbo Ukwu
Even Pa Chinua Achebe talks of you with glints in his eyes
You have hung on the lips of Grandma Adichie in the moonlight
As she wove us fables from her wisdom tooth.

Our elders have gone for the Indaba
We stood on the kopje Kopki
Chima and Chimamanda
She spoke clicking her tongue.
“Will you come to dance the Samba?”
“I love the dance with the Rumba.”
“The Rumba and the Marimba.”
She was picking the “Purple Hibiscus”
I played with the butterflies.
“Chimamanda, tell me another story.”
“Okay. I will tell you about the “Half Of A Yellow Sun”
“And I will tell you about the “Son of a Gun.”
As there is no history without glory.

She is so pretty.

destiny is bigger than us all.

Note to self: people might buy a book because the author is "so pretty". Duly noted.

She's eventually going to be very very BIG.
Say, um, Wole Soyinka big or something.
And I'll be thankful I read her 1st.

Note to movie producers: someone should secure the movie rights for 'purple hibiscus'.

am proud of the girl chimanda. i read her book perpe hibiscus 2 years back and it blew my mind. i was like so this exists in nigeria. since then i try to read contemporary nigerian literature as much as i can. i have since read evertything good will come by seffi atta, kaine agary yellow yellow and a host of others.
nigerian literature will go places with people like adichie and others in the fore fromt.
my only pain is to the authors in the closet who are afraid to come out becuase of the lack of reward and the publishers who seek the big names. wish i knew publishers who were not after big names.



proudly naija
ise oluwa, ko le baaje ooh

i read purple hibiscus and i fell in love with chimamanda but av never come across another of her books. can someone give me a list of them?

Half of a Yellow sun is the name of her latest book. It is generating positive buzz in the literary field and has been nominated for at least 2 literary prizes. I think its popularity the 2nd time around is of greater impact than her first novel, which was also popular.

Half of a Yellow Sun is attracting more readers. But I have not read the novel.
I read the short story.

Went to Waterstones bookstore today, half of a yellow sun is still in the number one spot.

Shagari, Half of a Yellow Sun is a bestseller in at least, London. I wont be surprised if the novels sells more than a quarter of a million. Best wishes to her.

Shagari2:

Went to Waterstones bookstore today, half of a yellow sun is still in the number one spot.

@ Shagari2, the book is not in the number one spot. It is just up front in every waterstones bookstore because there is a promotion for some books which have been reduced to half price of which half of a yellow sun is one. Also, it is one of the books recommended by the Richard and Judy Book Club.

I just went and bought both Adichie's books today. Here's to happy reading.

I'm sorry SMC but I have to disagree with you, yes it was half price but so were all the other books in the 'fiction charts' and her book was in the space with number 1 against it, you can all naive, but it seems to me that it means it's their number one best seller in that category. Mind you, I also went to WH Smith and it was number 3 there.

I have finally read both books and all I can say is Well Done Chima, keep up the Good work.

Oh! and I preferred 'Half of a Yellow Sun' by a mile.

SMC:

I have finally read both books and all I can say is Well Done Chima, keep up the Good work.

Oh! and I preferred 'Half of a Yellow Sun' by a mile.

Half of a Yellow Sun is on the short list for the 2007 Orange Prize. But the other short listed novels are highly rated.

I wish Chimamanda the best and I would be really glad and grateful to God if she wins the 30,000 pounds prize since she narrowly missed it in 2005.

SMC,
If you could, write a good review of Half of a Yellow Sun and post it on this board.
I can pay you in kind by giving you a free wedding website for your wedding or you can give it as a wedding gift to any about to wed couple.
I can also give you other gifts if you don't want a wedding website.

@Orikinla

Are you sure your admiration for Adichie is based solely on her literary merits or does it have prurient underpinnings?

Orikinla:


SMC,
If you could, write a good review of Half of a Yellow Sun and post it on this board.
I can pay you in kind by giving you a free wedding website for your wedding or you can give it as a wedding gift to any about to wed couple.
I can also give you other gifts if you don't want a wedding website.

.

I will do a review of the book gladly and you don't need to give me a gift. Thanks for the offer anyway.

Her new book is only getting this publicity becuase it promotes white supremacy. Apparently one of the key characters is a white man who sleeps with both sisters. the book has these 2 black women talking about how handsome this white guy is with his blonde hair, pushing eurocentric features.

SOME PEOPLE WILL DO ANYTHING FOR FAME.

4 Play:

@Orikinla

Are you sure your admiration for Adichie is based solely on her literary merits or does it have prurient underpinnings?

4 Play,
I am attracted to female writers and their sexuality.

Writers and artists have been rated as the most imaginative lovers.

Writing and reading can be as thrilling as making love and as you can see, Chimamanda looks like a very romantic lady.

We share a common thread in name and our artistic passions.
But I prefer my own princess and queen who is also a writer and a romantic poet.

Vintage:

Her new book is only getting this publicity becuase it promotes white supremacy. Apparently one of the key characters is a white man who sleeps with both sisters. the book has these 2 black women talking about how handsome this white guy is with his blonde hair, pushing eurocentric features.

SOME PEOPLE WILL DO ANYTHING FOR FAME.

It is apparent that you haven't read the book. I will be shocked if you say you have, for it will show that you lack a basic understanding of the issues raised. Case Dismissed.

BOOK REVIEW FOR HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

This is a book written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the highly acclaimed writer of the best selling Purple Hibiscus. It is a novel that is principally set in 1960's Nigeria and tells a fictional tale that concentrates on the lives of Olanna (the principal character), Kainene (her non-identical twin), Richard (Kainene's English lover), Odenigbo (Olanna's lover) and Ugwu (Odenigbo's houseboy), shortly before and during the Nigerian-Biafran war.

While the subject of the Biafran war has been covered by many writers, what Adichie has succeeded in doing is bringing through her work the effects of the war as experienced by the Igbo's. She has not attempted to give a historical lecture about the war, but has created a fictionalised account of the war based on some true life experiences of. It is often a fact that when wars are fought, propaganda takes over and the world is seldom aware of the true effects of the war, especially the suffering felt by the losing side. Adichie has captured this fact beautifully.

Half of a Yellow Sun offers a glimpse into the multi-faceted aspects of the Nigerian Society, showing the sharp contrast between educated backgrounds as seen from Odenigbo and his colleagues in juxtaposition with the almost stark illiteracy of Ugwu (in the beginning) and other domestic help. It covers the tribal divide which has always existed in Nigeria and the effect tribal bigotry can have on a people. It shows how during a war, extraordinary events and acts become ordinary. A case in point is a woman carrying the head of a child in a calabash on a crowded train and showing it to other passengers who do not seem shocked but share her sorrow because they had all seen gory sights in the not too distant past.

This is a book which is intricately woven to cater to a broad sense of literary appetites and has the effect of shocking the reader in some parts to amazing them in others. It keeps you turning the pages and sometimes makes you want to skip forwards in a frantic search of what happens next. It has murder, treachery, greed, betrayal, infidelity, war, starvation, love, friendship, sorrow and much more.

One short coming that this book has is the triviality with which it has treated the issue of pre-marital co-habitation in Nigeria (particularly among the Igbos in Igboland) which can be observed by Olanna living "in sin" with Odenigbo.  Here, the western influences of the writer can clearly be noticed, as even 40 years later, such matters are not taken lightly among the Igbos and indeed many Nigerian tribes (it must be said at this point that this shortcoming is one that will be noticed only by people who have a substantial knowledge of Nigeria). Another issue treated almost nonchalantly by the writer is the attempt of Olanna's parents to "sell" her to a minister so that her father can secure a contract. Other minor issues against the book are the clichés that the author uses from time to time.

On the whole, this book is a good effort from Adichie, who should be quite proud of this piece of work and it is not surprising that it was nominated for the Orange Broadband Prize. I recommend that you read Half of a Yellow Sun.

SMC

SMC,

I am glad to read your objective analysis of Half of a Yellow Sun and the Biafran stories always appeal to me, since I was a refugee child during the Nigerian civil war. Miss. Adichie has increased the chronicles of the romantic and tragic aspects of the war.

Permit me to publish your review offline in the publication on the subject of the so called excellency that lied to us as we have all seen the bitter truth from the last nightmarish elections in Nigeria.

I have decided to publish it before or after May 29 and release it to mark the June 12 Day. Because, our real Democracy Day is not May 29, but June 12, in recognition of the martyrdom of M.K.O Abiola, the hero of June 12.

I appreciate your well written review.

all of u,shut up! i think the beauty of her books is in their publishers.there are so many unknown good as well guys in africa.and until i see someone as good as an achebe or ngugi or gordimer,I CANNOT CELEBRATE ANY YET,

creatorjc:

all of u,shut up! i think the beauty of her books is in their publishers.there are so many unknown good as well guys in africa.and until i see someone as good as an achebe or ngugi or gordimer,I CANNOT CELEBRATE ANY YET,

Come back to criticize when you learn how to construct a good sentence in English mate.

well,at least great minds understood perfectly.u know anything?

creatorjc:

well,at least great minds understood perfectly.u know anything?

I stand by what I wrote earlier which i have inserted again below

SMC:

Come back to criticize when you learn how to construct a good sentence in English mate.

SMC,
Try to welcome those who disagree with the opinion of others.

Dr. Karen King-Aribisala told me that Helon Habila writes better than Pa Chinua Achebe and Ben Okri is still the youngest winner of the Booker Prize and even Achebe and Soyinka did not accomplish Okri's literary feat. Creatorjc may be ignorant of these facts.

If the Creatorjc has a dissenting view, let Creatorjc have his say.

I prefer those who are very critical to those who flatter others.

Orikinla:

SMC,
Try to welcome those who disagree with the opinion of others.

Dr. Karen King-Aribisala told me that Helon Habila writes better than Pa Chinua Achebe and Ben Okri is still the youngest winner of the Booker Prize and even Achebe and Soyinka did not accomplish Okri's literary feat. Creatorjc may be ignorant of these facts.
If the Creatorjc has a dissenting view, let Creatorjc have his say.
I prefer those who are very critical to those who flatter others.

I don't mind people criticizing in the least. When you are being critical, at least try to be articulate about your subject.

SMC,
I agree.

You are bold.

SMC


Your right actually I haven't read it yet. I was actually going to edit my original post, but for some reason I couldn't find it.

i have to add my voice to those of others in saying that Chimamanda's writing is simply amazing. Read the first one, now in the process of reading her second novel. She's a breath of fresh air, don't think i've read any writer as remarkable as her since Chinua Achebe. I applaud her and look foward to reading more of her books.