Half of a Yellow Sun
Encyclopedia
Half of a Yellow Sun is a novel by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
. Published in 2006 by Knopf/Anchor, it tells the story of two sisters, Olanna and Kainene, during the Biafran War.
during the Nigerian-Biafran War in 1967-1970. The effect of the war is shown through the dynamic relationships of four people’s lives ranging from high ranking political figures, a professor, a British citizen, and a houseboy. After the British left Nigeria, the lives of the main characters drastically changed and were torn apart by the ensuing civil war and decisions in their personal life.
The book jumps between events that took place during the early 1960s and the late 1960s, when the war took place.
In the early 1960s, the main characters are introduced: Ugwu, a 13 year old village boy who moves in with Odenigbo, to work as his houseboy. Odenigbo frequently entertains intellectuals to discuss the political turmoil in Nigeria. Life changes for Ugwu when Odenigbo’s girlfriend, Olanna, moves in with them. Ugwu forms a strong bond with both of them, and is very loyal. Olanna has a twin sister, Kainene, a woman with a dry sense of humour, tired by the pompous company she is forced to keep. Her lover Richard is an Englishman who has come to Nigeria to study the arts.
Jumping four years ahead, trouble is brewing between the Hausa
and the Igbo people
and hundreds of people die in the massacres, including Olanna's beloved auntie and uncle. A new republic,called Biafra
, is created by the Igbo. As a result of the conflict, Olanna, Odenigbo, their daughter Baby and Ugwu are forced to flee Nsukka, which is the university town and the major intellectual hub of the new nation. They finally end up in the refugee town of Umuahia, where they suffer as a result of food shortages and the constant air raids and paranoid atmosphere. There are also allusions to a conflict between Olanna and Kainene, Richard and Kainene and Olanna and Odenigbo.
When the novel jumps back to the early 1960s, we learn that Odenigbo slept with a village girl, who then had his baby. Olanna is furious at his betrayal, and sleeps with Richard in a moment of weakness. She goes back to Odenigbo and they take in his daughter, whom they call Baby, when her mother refuses her.
Back during the war, and Olanna, Odenigbo, Baby and Ugwu are living with Kainene and Richard where Kainene is running a refugee camp. The situation is hopeless as they have no food or medicine. Kainene decides to trade across enemy lines, but doesn't return, even after the end of the war a few weeks later. The book ends ambiguously, with the reader not knowing if Kainene lives.
The story in Half of a Yellow Sun is centered around the war. The author has stated she believes that many of the issues that caused the war remain today. She further commented that the war is talked about "in uninformed and unimaginative ways," and that the war is as important to the Igbo people her book features today as it was then. Because none of the major political events were changed in the book, Adichie said that the book contained "emotional truth," and that the book showed the war had a significant impact upon the people of Nigeria.
. The award is given annually for the best original full-length novel
written by a woman in English; Adichie's prize amounted to £30 000. Purple Hibiscus
, her first novel, made the Orange Prize shortlist in 2004.
The novel was well received by critics and included in the New York Timess "100 Most Notable Books of the Year". In a review for The Seattle Times
, Mary Brennan highlights the book as "a sweeping story that provides both a harrowing history lesson and an engagingly human narrative". The Guardian
's Kate Kellaway wrote: "An immense achievement, Half of a Yellow Sun has a ramshackle freedom and exuberant ambition." The New York Times
had a more mixed reflection of the book, noting that "at times Adichie’s writing is too straightforward, the novel’s pace too slack" but also that "whenever she touches on her favorite themes — loyalty and betrayal — her prose thrums with life."
Aïssatou Sidimé from San Antonio Express-News
praised Adichie's writing in the book, writing that "alluring and revelatory, eloquent, prize-winning Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is quickly proving herself to be fearless in the tradition of the great African writers." Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe
commented: “We do not usually associate wisdom with beginners, but here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers" and said about Adichie: "She is fearless, or she would not have taken on the intimidating horror of Nigeria's civil war."
.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer.Her family is of Igbo descent. In 2008 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.-Early life and education:...
. Published in 2006 by Knopf/Anchor, it tells the story of two sisters, Olanna and Kainene, during the Biafran War.
Plot
The novel takes place in NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
during the Nigerian-Biafran War in 1967-1970. The effect of the war is shown through the dynamic relationships of four people’s lives ranging from high ranking political figures, a professor, a British citizen, and a houseboy. After the British left Nigeria, the lives of the main characters drastically changed and were torn apart by the ensuing civil war and decisions in their personal life.
The book jumps between events that took place during the early 1960s and the late 1960s, when the war took place.
In the early 1960s, the main characters are introduced: Ugwu, a 13 year old village boy who moves in with Odenigbo, to work as his houseboy. Odenigbo frequently entertains intellectuals to discuss the political turmoil in Nigeria. Life changes for Ugwu when Odenigbo’s girlfriend, Olanna, moves in with them. Ugwu forms a strong bond with both of them, and is very loyal. Olanna has a twin sister, Kainene, a woman with a dry sense of humour, tired by the pompous company she is forced to keep. Her lover Richard is an Englishman who has come to Nigeria to study the arts.
Jumping four years ahead, trouble is brewing between the Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
and the Igbo people
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
and hundreds of people die in the massacres, including Olanna's beloved auntie and uncle. A new republic,called Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
, is created by the Igbo. As a result of the conflict, Olanna, Odenigbo, their daughter Baby and Ugwu are forced to flee Nsukka, which is the university town and the major intellectual hub of the new nation. They finally end up in the refugee town of Umuahia, where they suffer as a result of food shortages and the constant air raids and paranoid atmosphere. There are also allusions to a conflict between Olanna and Kainene, Richard and Kainene and Olanna and Odenigbo.
When the novel jumps back to the early 1960s, we learn that Odenigbo slept with a village girl, who then had his baby. Olanna is furious at his betrayal, and sleeps with Richard in a moment of weakness. She goes back to Odenigbo and they take in his daughter, whom they call Baby, when her mother refuses her.
Back during the war, and Olanna, Odenigbo, Baby and Ugwu are living with Kainene and Richard where Kainene is running a refugee camp. The situation is hopeless as they have no food or medicine. Kainene decides to trade across enemy lines, but doesn't return, even after the end of the war a few weeks later. The book ends ambiguously, with the reader not knowing if Kainene lives.
The novel and the war
The Nigerian-Biafran War began on July 6, 1967 and lasted until January 15, 1970. The war broke out due to political and ethnic struggles, partly caused by the numerous attempts of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria to secede and form the Republic of Biafra. Political conflict between the Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and Fulani people erupted into two deadly military coups. The Igbo tried to breakaway from Nigeria to become the Republic of Biafra, but was met with little support. From 1968 onward, the war fell into a form of deadlock, with Nigerian forces unable to make significant advances into the remaining areas of Biafran control. Nigeria cut off humanitarian aid to Biafra, resulting in hundreds of thousands of civilians dying from starvation and disease. Many lives and resources were lost during the war; and even today there are still tensions between the different ethnic and religious groups of Nigeria.The story in Half of a Yellow Sun is centered around the war. The author has stated she believes that many of the issues that caused the war remain today. She further commented that the war is talked about "in uninformed and unimaginative ways," and that the war is as important to the Igbo people her book features today as it was then. Because none of the major political events were changed in the book, Adichie said that the book contained "emotional truth," and that the book showed the war had a significant impact upon the people of Nigeria.
Reception
Half of a Yellow Sun received the 2007 Orange Prize for FictionOrange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
. The award is given annually for the best original full-length novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by a woman in English; Adichie's prize amounted to £30 000. Purple Hibiscus
Purple Hibiscus
Purple Hibiscus is the first novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It was first published by Algonquin Books in 2003. The novel is part of the English Leaving Certificate course in Ireland, the AQA GCSE Higher English and English Literature course, the Advanced Placement course in...
, her first novel, made the Orange Prize shortlist in 2004.
The novel was well received by critics and included in the New York Timess "100 Most Notable Books of the Year". In a review for The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, Mary Brennan highlights the book as "a sweeping story that provides both a harrowing history lesson and an engagingly human narrative". The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's Kate Kellaway wrote: "An immense achievement, Half of a Yellow Sun has a ramshackle freedom and exuberant ambition." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
had a more mixed reflection of the book, noting that "at times Adichie’s writing is too straightforward, the novel’s pace too slack" but also that "whenever she touches on her favorite themes — loyalty and betrayal — her prose thrums with life."
Aïssatou Sidimé from San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
praised Adichie's writing in the book, writing that "alluring and revelatory, eloquent, prize-winning Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is quickly proving herself to be fearless in the tradition of the great African writers." Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe
Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...
commented: “We do not usually associate wisdom with beginners, but here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers" and said about Adichie: "She is fearless, or she would not have taken on the intimidating horror of Nigeria's civil war."
Adaptation
In 2008, a film adaptation was announced, with a screenplay to be written by playwright Biyi BandeleBiyi Bandele
Biyi Bandele-Thomas is a Nigerian novelist and playwright generally known as Biyi Bandele. Bandele is one of the most versatile and prolific of the U.K.-based Nigerian writers, having turned his hand to theater, journalism, television, film, and radio, as well as the fiction with which he made his...
.
External links
- Podcast of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discussing Half of a Yellow Sun on the BBC's World Book ClubWorld Book ClubWorld Book Club is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her books, often the most well-known one, with the public...