Adichie Interview

Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie is interviewed at AllAfrica.

When did you start writing Purple Hibiscus?
I was in my senior year of college, so 2001.
You must have been pretty young.
I was twenty-four. It’s such a cliche, but [my age] really doesn’t have much to do with the number. Now that this book is out, I’m constantly resenting being labeled the `young writer.’ I didn’t write Purple Hibiscus because I was young. When people label you as young, there’s the baggage that comes along with it. “Maybe she got published because she was so young.” Then it’s not about the work. So now I say to people, twenty seven really isn’t that young.

Adichie’s new novel, Half of a Yellow Sun is due to come out with Knopf/Anchor.