Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Yale University, Timeline and Family
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Personal Details
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer of novels, short stories, and nonfiction
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | September 15, 1977 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Famous | Yale University, Writers, Poets, Novelists, Short Story Writers |
| Spouses | Ivara Esege |
| Universities |
|
| Notable Alumnis |
|
| Birth Place | Enugu, Nigeria |
| Gender | Female |
| Father | James Nwoye Adichie |
| Mother | Grace Ifeoma |
| Sun Sign | Virgo |
| Born in | Enugu, Nigeria |
| Famous as | Writer |
| Socials |
// Famous Short Story Writers
Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski was a German-born American novelist, short story writer and poet. With this biography, learn in details about his childhood, life, works, career and timeline
Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond is an award winning Indian author of British descent. This biography of Ruskin Bond provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is an English writer of novels, short stories, children’s books and other literature. This biography provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's photo
Who is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie?
Chimamand Ngozi Adichi is a Nigerian born writer. She started writing at a young age and has gone on to be listed as one of the 100 Most Influential People by the Time Magazine. She is known to be a feminist and has given voice to the people of African origin living in America and other countries. Her short stories are explicit about the Nigerian Civil war and the plight of the people caught in the conflict. Her poems and short stories have been compiled into books that turned out to be best sellers. She has published four books that convey a strong message about the issues that she believes require to be addressed. She has also delivered a number a talks and interviews on television where she has expressed her views strongly. She has been conferred with a number of awards and honorary degrees from various universities. Today she is a well-known name in literary circles and has made a lasting impact on the minds of her readers. She is also active on social media and has a large following on Facebook.
// Famous Poets
Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski was a German-born American novelist, short story writer and poet. With this biography, learn in details about his childhood, life, works, career and timeline
Seamus Heaney
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. Know about his profile, childhood, life and timeline in the biography below.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was an American poet, journalist and humanist. Read this brief biography to find more on his life & timeline.
Childhood & Early Life
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on 15 September 1977 in the city of Enugu in Nigeria into an Igbo family. She was brought up as the fifth sibling out of six children of her parents in the town of Nsukka. Her father, James Nwoye Adichie, was a professor of statistics in the University of Nigeria, located in Nsukka. Later he became the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university. Her mother, Grace Ifeoma, was the first female registrar of the university.
She completed her secondary education at the University’s school, where she excelled in academics and won a number of prizes. On completion of her schooling, she initially joined the University of Nigeria to study medicine and pharmacy. Her writing skills came to light when she edited the university magazine called ‘Compass’. She left Nigeria at the age of 19 and went on to study communications and political science at Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA.
She subsequently got transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University to be closer to her sister and completed her bachelor’s degree with the distinction of summa cum laude in 2001. During her days in the university she wrote a number of articles in the university’s journal, ‘Campus Lantern’.
She furthered her academic career with a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2003 and Master of Arts degree in African Studies from Yale University in 2008.
During her studies at Yale University, she was a fellow at Princeton University for the academic year 2005-06. In 2008, she was conferred with the MacArthur Fellowship and in 2011-12 she was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
Her academic achievements include an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters conferred upon her by Johns Hopkins University as well as Haverford College.
Career
Chimamanda was 20 years old when she published her collection of poems titled ‘Decisions’ in 1997. The following year she wrote a play called ‘For Love of Biafra’ on the Nigerian Civil War. Her initial success was confirmed when she was shortlisted for the ‘Caine Prize’ for African writing for her short story, ‘You in America’.
The response from her short story prompted her to write ‘That Harmattan Morning’ in the same format that was selected as a joint winner for the BBC Short Story Awards. Yet again ‘The American Embassy’ got her the O Henry Prize and the David T Wong International Short Story Prize for 2002-03.
Her debut novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ was published in 2003 and won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book. Her next book was about the Nigerian Civil War and named ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ after the flag of the short lived nation, Biafra. The book has been adapted into a motion picture with the same name directed by Biyi Bandele that won the BAFTA award.
Her third novel titled ‘Americanah’ was selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2013. The story is about a young Nigerian encountering racism in America. She also released a compilation of 12 short stories titled ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ that was listed among the Best American Short Stories of 2011. Her latest book, ‘Dear Ijeawele’ hit the stands in 2017 and received positive reviews.
She has been listed among one of the best writers under 40 years of age and has been elected into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is one of the highest honours for intellectuals in the US.
Adichie has delivered a number of lectures including her talk on TED that became one of the most viewed interviews of all time. She delivered the 2012 Commonwealth Lecture on ‘Connecting Cultures’ and a talk on being feminist that was published as a book and inspired the song ‘Flawless’ by the American performer, Beyonce.
Major Works
Adichie started her career with short stories and went on to write some of the most widely read books that include ‘Purple Hibiscus’ (2003), ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ (2006), ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ (2009) and ‘Americanah’ (2013).
Her short stories ‘You in America’, ‘That Harmattan Morning’ and ‘The American Embassy’ revolve around the lives of Africans living abroad and the discrimination thy face.
Awards & Achievements
Besides a number of listings, she has won numerous awards for her literary work. Just to mention a few, she won the ‘O Henry Prize’ for the short story ‘The American Embassy’ in 2003, the ‘Commonwealth Writers’ Prize : Best First Book’ for her novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ in 2005, Reader’s Digest ‘Author of the Year’ in 2008 and the ‘National Book Critics Circle Award : Fiction Category’ for her book ‘Americanah’.
She has the distinction of having her books listed among the ‘Ten Best Books’ by New York Times and BBC. She has also been listed by the Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2015.
Personal Life & Legacy
Adichie splits her time between her birthplace, Nigeria, and the USA, where she works. She is married to a Maryland based doctor and has a daughter.
In order to give back to her country, she conducts writing workshops whenever she visits Nigeria.
Trivia
Her ancestral home is in Abba in Anambra state of Nigeria.
She lived in the house once occupied by the renowned Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, and was greatly influenced by his masterpiece, ‘Things Fall Apart’, which she read at the age of 10.
Adichie considers herself a storyteller, but does not mind being referred to as a feminist writer. Her world view is feminist and she believes that the subject requires to be addressed.
Her famous talk on ‘Dangers of a Single Story’ expresses her concern about the underrepresentation of various cultures that give a skewed view of a race due to ignorance of others.
She is a supporter of LGBTQ rights and has campaigned for them in Nigeria. She once came into controversy about her views on trans-genders but later went to great length to clarify her stand.
// Famous Yale University
Samuel P. Huntington
Samuel Phillips Huntington was a famous American political scientist who proposed the controversial thesis of ‘The Clash of Civilizations’. Find out more about his life in this biography
Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr was a German-American theologian, intellectual and political commentator who wrote the famous book, ‘Moral Man and Immoral Society’. This biography provides information about his profile, childhood, life and timeline.
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly is an Academy Award winner American actress who started out as a child artist and reached the epitome of her film career with the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 2007 | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award - Half of a Yellow Sun | |
| 2007 | PEN/Open Book - Half of a Yellow Sun | |
| 0 | 2007 - Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction - Half of a Yellow Sun | |
| 0 | 2008 - MacArthur Fellowship - Fiction | |
| 0 | 2014 - National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction - Americanah | |
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie biography timelines
- // 15th Sep 1977Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on 15 September 1977 in the city of Enugu in Nigeria into an Igbo family. She was brought up as the fifth sibling out of six children of her parents in the town of Nsukka. Her father, James Nwoye Adichie, was a professor of statistics in the University of Nigeria, located in Nsukka. Later he became the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university. Her mother, Grace Ifeoma, was the first female registrar of the university.
- // 1997Chimamanda was 20 years old when she published her collection of poems titled ‘Decisions’ in 1997. The following year she wrote a play called ‘For Love of Biafra’ on the Nigerian Civil War. Her initial success was confirmed when she was shortlisted for the ‘Caine Prize’ for African writing for her short story, ‘You in America’.
- // 2001She subsequently got transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University to be closer to her sister and completed her bachelor’s degree with the distinction of summa cum laude in 2001. During her days in the university she wrote a number of articles in the university’s journal, ‘Campus Lantern’.
- // 2002The response from her short story prompted her to write ‘That Harmattan Morning’ in the same format that was selected as a joint winner for the BBC Short Story Awards. Yet again ‘The American Embassy’ got her the O Henry Prize and the David T Wong International Short Story Prize for 2002-03.
- // 2003She furthered her academic career with a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2003 and Master of Arts degree in African Studies from Yale University in 2008.
- // 2003Her debut novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ was published in 2003 and won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book. Her next book was about the Nigerian Civil War and named ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ after the flag of the short lived nation, Biafra. The book has been adapted into a motion picture with the same name directed by Biyi Bandele that won the BAFTA award.
- // 2003Adichie started her career with short stories and went on to write some of the most widely read books that include ‘Purple Hibiscus’ (2003), ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ (2006), ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ (2009) and ‘Americanah’ (2013).
- // 2003Besides a number of listings, she has won numerous awards for her literary work. Just to mention a few, she won the ‘O Henry Prize’ for the short story ‘The American Embassy’ in 2003, the ‘Commonwealth Writers’ Prize : Best First Book’ for her novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ in 2005, Reader’s Digest ‘Author of the Year’ in 2008 and the ‘National Book Critics Circle Award : Fiction Category’ for her book ‘Americanah’.
- // 2005During her studies at Yale University, she was a fellow at Princeton University for the academic year 2005-06. In 2008, she was conferred with the MacArthur Fellowship and in 2011-12 she was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
- // 2012Adichie has delivered a number of lectures including her talk on TED that became one of the most viewed interviews of all time. She delivered the 2012 Commonwealth Lecture on ‘Connecting Cultures’ and a talk on being feminist that was published as a book and inspired the song ‘Flawless’ by the American performer, Beyonce.
- // 2013Her third novel titled ‘Americanah’ was selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2013. The story is about a young Nigerian encountering racism in America. She also released a compilation of 12 short stories titled ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ that was listed among the Best American Short Stories of 2011. Her latest book, ‘Dear Ijeawele’ hit the stands in 2017 and received positive reviews.
- // 2015She has the distinction of having her books listed among the ‘Ten Best Books’ by New York Times and BBC. She has also been listed by the Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2015.
// Famous Writers
Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer is a Christian author and speaker. This biography provides detailed information about her childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline
Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is a well-known American writer, autistic activist and animal expert. This biography profiles her childhood, life, achievements, career and timeline
Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams was one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century. This biography of Tennessee Williams provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works and timeline.
Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski was a German-born American novelist, short story writer and poet. With this biography, learn in details about his childhood, life, works, career and timeline
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag is an American critical essayist, cultural analyst, novelist, political activist, filmmaker and playwright of international repute. Read on to find out more about her childhood, career, profile and timeline.
Suze Orman
Suze Orman is an American television host, financial advisor, author and motivational speaker, famous for her ‘The Suze Orman Show’ on CNBC. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career, works, achievements and timeline.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's FAQ
What is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie birthday?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born at 1977-09-15
Where is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's birth place?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Enugu, Nigeria
What is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie nationalities?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's nationalities is Nigerian
Who is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie spouses?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's spouses is Ivara Esege
What was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie universities?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie studied at Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, Harvard University
What was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie notable alumnis?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's notable alumnis is Yale University
Who is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's father?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's father is James Nwoye Adichie
Who is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's mother?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's mother is Grace Ifeoma
What is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's sun sign?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is Virgo
How famous is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is famouse as Writer
What is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's facebook?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's facebook is https://www.facebook.com/chimamandaadichie
What is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's instagram?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's instagram is https://www.instagram.com/chimamanda_adichie/