‘I want to be read by the Arab world’: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at Sharjah book fair

Acclaimed Nigerian author discusses her latest work, her political voice, and her wish for greater empathy among non-Western cultures

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie leads a line-up of top international authors at this year's Sharjah International Book Fair. Getty Images

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie doesn’t live by a specific motto, except for a constant reminder to herself to read more books. Lately, she has also felt a growing desire to read more about – and be read by – the Arab world.

“I definitely want to reach a wider audience in the Arab world – that's very interesting to me, it's important to me,” Adichie tells The National on the sidelines of the Sharjah International Book Fair, where she leads a line-up of top international authors.

The acclaimed Nigerian writer says she loves that several of her works have been translated into and published in Arabic, including her 2014 novel We Should Be Feminists as well as Dear Ijeawele and A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions.

Her exposure to the Arab world and Arabic literature has also informed her stance about Israel's war on Gaza. Despite the ceasefire now in place, she says the question of justice remains as Palestinians continue to be killed.

“I feel very strongly about the injustice and what I've called mass murder because that's what it is and that's happening still,” she says. “I've spoken about that and I will say what I think when I'm asked – and also when I'm not asked.

“I wish for a world in which non-Western cultures would know one another better, have more empathy for one another, and stand up for one another … because the Western cultures do that.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, right, at the Sharjah International Book Fair. Photo: SIBF

Adichie has always reflected that need for connection and understanding through her writing. “Novels, for me, are of course always based in a political space, but fundamentally I think they're about hearts – about the hearts of people,” she says.

Earlier this year, Adichie published Dream Count, which tells the stories of four African women as they navigate life, love, and loss during the Covid-19 pandemic. The book marked her strong return to fiction after 12 years, laced with themes that feel both real and distinctly relevant.

“I think it's a book that tries to tell the story of women's lives in a way that is honest and in a way that is direct,” she says. “Also, in a way that engages with women's bodies, which is important, and I don't see enough of that in literature.”

Adichie has a history of writing hard-hitting books – another is Notes on Grief (2021), a moving memoir that followed the death of her father – and says writing fiction is not an entirely conscious process for her.

“Writing fiction really is about writing what calls you,” she says. “I think every fiction writer writes about things that are in some way connected to them. I come from Nigeria. It's difficult to just sit down and write about flowers when you're from Nigeria.”

At the Sharjah International Book Fair, Adichie is discovering books written by Arabic authors that speak to her. “I've read a few histories,” she says. “But I'm asking for recommendations for novels that will help me get into the hearts of the people who live in this part of the world.”

Many of Adichie's bestsellers have been translated into Arabic. Photo: SIBF

Adichie is no stranger to the power of the word. Besides highlighting Nigerian voices in literature, she has been leading an annual creative writing workshop in Nigeria since 2008.

Her publisher was an attendee at her very first workshop. “I'm very interested in encouraging the people who are coming after me,” she says. “So this is the reason that for years I've had a writing workshop and I'm very proud of the people who've been to my workshop because they've gone on to do many things.”

Supporting the production of culture is another important feat to Adichie, as she believes “societies die if they don't make it a priority” to represent all forms of art.

“Obviously I'm biased, I think literature is the most important, so this is part of the reason I'm so impressed when learning how this book fair is supported by the leader of Sharjah,” she says.

“I also think that for countries that don't have a long history of institutions, the government has to play a role in encouraging rise in talent. I'm taking notes to say that this is what we should do in Nigeria.”