To think that all the while, I thought she was single, lol...*covers face* In case you didn't know, pretty Chimamanda Adichie, award winning writer is happily married to a medical doctor, Dr Ivara Esege, for several years now. She describes him as Nigerian, American and British, and they divide their time between Nigeria and America. The above picture was taken at the last Farafina Literary Evening in Lagos. More photos below...
Oh by the way did you know that:
1-She briefly studied medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka before leaving to study communications (Eastern Connecticut State University) and creative writing from Johns Hopkins University.
2-She was born on the 15th September, 1977. That makes her 35 years old even though she looks every bit 25! But she doesn’t find that funny all the time:“I know, I look about 18. Actually, it can be a bit irritating. People don’t always take you seriously.” But I guess the world is taking her really serious now.
3-Her dad is Nigeria’s first professor of statistics while her mum is a university registrar, the first female in the institution (UNN). Now, you can see the genes at work. Yelz, her sister is a medical doctor.
4-She was born in Enugu State, the coal state of Nigeria.
5-Her latest book is titled ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’. Her other ones include the Purple Hibiscus and yes, you gerrit, Half of a Yellow Sun.
6-Tah! Don’t go there at all! She is happily married. Even though she once described marriage as a ‘dangerous’ institution for women. Her husband is a doctor based in Maryland, United States.
7-She is the fifth of six children and grew up in a house that was once used by Nigeria’s master writer and one of Africa’s very best writers, Chinua Achebe. I think I need to rent a room in that house too o!
8-Her middle name is Ngozi. It means ‘blessing’. As for Chimamanda, it means ‘My God is unfailing’ or ‘My God never fails me’.
9-She read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart at the age of 10. Okay, what was I doing at the age of 10 o? Rolling tyres all over the street! By seven, she was already writing. Now, you don’t want to know what I was doing at that age.
10-She grew up reading Enid Blyton, okay, we share that trait…lol!
11-Her paternal grandfather died in a refugee camp during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970. These experiences would later influence her writing style. Her book, Half of a Yellow Sun actually took its name from the Biafran flag.
12-She says she is always thinking about death, and for her, love and death come hand in hand.
13-She also said: “This may sound slightly mythical, but I sometimes feel as if my writing is something bigger than I am.”
14-Her dad actually dropped out of school when his family could no longer pay his school fees. He did some work as a sanitary inspector and was later able to sponsor himself for private Cambridge exams which he passed.
15- She won the MacArthur Genius Grant of $500,000, that’s cool half a million!
16-She’s a Catholic.
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