Chimamanda wins 2017 Mary McCarthy award

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has received a special Mary McCarthy award for her thought evoking novels and charismatic public awareness.

Chimamanda who is a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship attended the Mary McCarthy Prize, Bard College as a special guest.

Her work has appeared in various publications and has been translated into over thirty languages with her first novel Purple Hibiscus (2003) won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and her second novel Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) won the Orange Prize (now the Baileys Women’s Prize). Her most recent book Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions was published in March 2017.

Adichie wins 2017 Mary McCarthy award. Photo: Chimamanda/Facebook

The writer, feminist and Patriot wore a super chic Zohi Taglit leather stripped jumpsuit with wide legged bottoms and exaggerated sleeves as a way to promote the project ‘wear Nigerian’. By patronising Nigerian brands, she is doing her part to help improve the country’s economy.

Read: Chimamanda Adichie conferred with honorary degree from Haverford College and Williams College

Overview

The Mary McCarthy Prize in short fiction includes a cash award, publication of a collection of short stories, novella or short novel and standard royalty contract.

In a relatively short career, Adichie has quickly grown to become one of the continent’s foremost writers. A fervent feminist and critic, the Nigerian author has received around 21 nominations for her work and has won numerous awards.

Read: Chimamanda Adichie is elected into the American Academy of Arts and Letters

Adichie was recently conferred with an honorary degree by Haverford College, an institution in Pennsylvania, United States. Haverford College stated in their press release:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most prominent African writers of her generation. Her Purple Hibiscus (2003) won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for first work. Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) won the Orange Prize, the world’s top prize for female writers. Americanah (2013) received numerous accolades, including the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was named one of The New York Times Top Ten Best Books of the Year.