Between the Lines: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie with Zadie Smith

[@misslight2008]

Zadie and Chimamanda together is like my own literary all-star game 🙌

[@louise-yo7kz]

misslight2008 yeah

[@mdqquinn2513]

misslight2008 mine too! ecstasy!

[@EllaBirt]

I can barely stand it, I'm so excited watching this - very insightful conversation. They both are such a presence, so brilliant.

[@Smarterthanyew]

I love that they have totally different opinions but without any tension. Two intellectual titans able to disagree but both somehow be right.

[@blckgrlctygrdn]

Incredible interview. Listening with my daughter. These women are great role models for her.

[@maximo240693]

And you too! For making her listen to this kind of content. ❤😊🎉

[@AfroVibez]

I found Zadie Smith demeanour to be unusually relaxed, usually her disposition seems uncomfortable in her interviews. It's so refreshing to see her in this manner, I must admit Chimamanda unassuming nature can 'melt' any discomfort from anyone.

[@XsweetstarliteX]

They're both in awe of each other

[@Sichi.]

chimamanda is a woman of class, a motivator someone of great influence in my life, as a woman she has done and achieved what few people has done. being a feminist and a Nigerian she has accomplished something very rare in Nigeria and that is being a feminist. I'm a Nigerian and talking about feminism is like saying an abomination. she's a feminist and she's successful both in Nigeria all over the world and that's something I'll very much like to accomplished in life. a successful feminist

[@zazinha3810]

QUEENS, these two. So much talent, intelligence, wisdom, and pure beauty on that stage.

[@PixieGloLifeChannel]

A fellow student shared a KZbin on Chimamanda. First time I heard her , I was blown away by her intelligence, beauty and gift with words. What a positive role model! ❤️💕❤️🙏🏼

[@girlwiththemagicpen]

Adichie has such a calm and lulling voice when she reads. It's so refreshing to listen to her.

[@seunvictoria2580]

"...To really love something is a gift, not that common, sometimes it's hard for people to find what they love…." This is very profound from Zadie Smith. I represent one of those people who find it hard to discover what they love. Thanks Zadie for speaking for me.

[@baconbastrd4940]

I could listen to these women speak (content and aesthetics) all day long.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

I love Chimamanda's accent/manner of speaking English. It's so seductive and charming.

[@laurisaku00]

+Danny B. Ha ha I was thinking exactly the same thing! so charming.

[@lulima8064]

Danny B. Yes! I think that word that fits perfectly is "elegant".

[@ajoclementina6496]

It's d Nigerian accent

[@lilli5232]

who cares? what about content?

[@no-fb7oz]

Seductive????

[@henrymurray8810]

People from diverse cultures and places other than the United States always seem to be more interesting and far more adept at understanding sociological and pathological issues. It is something we Americans really need to address and resolve so that we do not seem so boring and inadequate about interactive things. Enviable.

[@maryseo.]

I advise you to listen to bell hooks, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, James Baldwin, Thelma Golden, Arthur Jafa, Greg Tate Joan Morgan and so many others. I'm French by the way...

[@rashmika9742]

skip the intro: 4:45 End of Chimamanda's reading: 12:35 Lost signal: 36:38-37:20 Q and A starts: 47:01

[@xhboots1967]

Thank you so much!!!!!!

[@jacasserie2]

Thank You!!!!

[@infinityrose_xoxo]

No lie I thank my College prof. for introducing me to Zadie Smith. She is such an exquisite Female. Chimamanda and Zadie are too powerful women using their voices to evoke thought and I'm proud to have witnessed this ..

[@LisaKinnard]

What an incredible conversation between two great thinkers and writers. Boy, did they cover the gamut! I am married to a Nigerian/St. Lucian who was born and raised in England and I found myself laughing out loud about some of their observations about America (i.e., splitting the bill). It reminded me of some of our conversations during his first several years here. Bravo Schomberg Center!

[@stevenlee2484]

This is an incredible interview. What an amazing conversation, honestly. Brilliant minds!

[@mikelorji2505]

Chimamanda I respect you for the wisdom that you have answering questions with out any fear

[@notcosteffective9920]

Thank you

[@Liveonpoint99]

Do this again please, the both of you, funny, intelligent, beautiful, and lastly yes sexy!

[@AdelinGasana]

As an African-born American (in the East African tradition) I absolutely admire and applaud the work that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is doing with her writing, public speaking, and her intellectual activism. She shines light on a marginalized group of people particularly African immigrants living in the West while raising awareness on key societal realities like women's issues, racism, classism, etc. All these pursuits that she mostly pens in her writing helps push the conversation forward on important subject matter on an engrossing, educational, didactic, and creatively, thought-provoking platform. With all that aside--I do have some criticisms to her writing. Having read her 2007 novel, "Half of A Yellow Sun", and her 2014 novel, "Americanah" I feel in many ways she's overly ambitious in her writing. While her characters in her books are, indeed, multi-dimensional and complex where Adichie does a good job in articulating their worlds and way of life, the multi-part narratives isn't constructive for a novel and, in many ways, confounds her overall message. Concision is tantamount to good writing. By eliminating verbosity and any loose tangents concision establishes clarity and lucidity to the morale of the story. Plus, its clean and organized in its structure--which in no way means a novel needs to be predictable and boring. Five-hundred pages is way too long for a novel and while both novels "Half of A Yellow Sun" (543 pages) and "Americanah" (588 pages) doesn't really stray off on a tangent it does bring in multiple major and minor characters to ongoing storylines mixed in with various themes that often leaves the reader confused and misguided to the original story arc itself. Simplicity is not only important in writing a novel for a wide market of readers because of sales it is vital in getting at the point of why the story is even being penned in the first place. There's no need to pack in all important subject matter and topics in one respectful novel. Leave your reader time to breathe, think, and reflect. If we are writing a nonfiction book that's a whole different thing in terms of concision. I felt after reading both novels that the story is so ongoing that it probably wouldn't really end--which was exactly the feeling I had afterwards. Both novels could really keep going in introducing new themes one after the other with no conclusion or closure. And, what great writer would not want one heck of a conclusion to their story? "Half of A Yellow Sun" which was the better-written book, in my opinion, was essentially a 3-person narrative in the backdrop of the Biafra War (Nigerian Civil War) during the mid-to-late 1960s. The three main characters are written simultaneously in chapter breaks from each other. Along the way, however, the timelines change and the story is no longer moving in chronological order, until later, it does again. Since this is Adichie's writing style--due to it also employed in her later novel "Americanah" I felt confounded as to where she is leading me as the reader. Her topics of love, war, violence, lessons in history, national identity, tribal/ethnic identity, patriotism, parenting, sexual expression, and so on gets lost in its juxtaposition constantly being inter-weaved in and out with no sense of understanding why and what to get at in context to the building of the story. Less is more--whether we are writing a novel, a screenplay for film, a teleplay for television, a script for stage-acting, or even an outline for a documentary film. Adichie should take one topic and one character and ride with it. For "Half of A Yellow Sun" I thought the character of Ugwu, the houseboy, as he goes through a loss of innocence during the war was far more intriguing of a storyline in development than the other two characters. Adichie could break each character down into their own respected novels as a series-part on the Biafra War, for example. Concision, in this case, is not only your friend but can save you and ensure a timeless legacy--if done well. As far as "Americanah" is concerned--again, a loose soap opera novel consisting of multiple themed-storylines with varying minor characters where the two major characters as part of a romantic entanglement carries the narrative over a time-frame spanning more than a decade. Plus, the blog entries that summed up the end of most of the chapters felt like the entire book was written as a freestyle, op-ed piece on race, hair, national identity, an immigrant experience in the U.S. and U.K., and more, which, really belongs more to the blogosphere than anywhere else.

[@TecoObi]

+Adelin Gasana You made some valid points; but speaking about length of a novel, your comment is an essay!

[@mars9842]

lol

[@mars9842]

The beautiful thing about creative writing is there is no correct way to do it. I think readers of works of fiction role is not to judge the style but to analyse how the style affects the story, ie nothing an author does is actually wrong. I actually love the complexity of her story -- complexity is the way of life! I think people like simple because it is easy to swallow but life is not simple, ideas are not whole, they are fragments of truths, a chain in the middle of many chains. Now, I get that she tackles big topics, topics that are so complex we can talk about it forever but I don't think that is her goal, to flush out each topic and to try to find a singular truth...but Adichie understand contradictions and paradoxes.

[@JohnPaul-hs5os]

she is a example for others and she married a black man light skin but black however she have some intell flaws

[@JohnPaul-hs5os]

Onigbajamo dark skin supremacy write that into reality

[@XsweetstarliteX]

I always come back to watch this interview.

[@jasminehouston-burns1691]

Huge crush on Zadie. Heart melts.

[@cecilesarruf3854]

I look forward to her work. Such brilliance between the two.

[@graycenwiltshire4533]

These two amazing figures in our literary world!! Both are living legends!!!!!

[@greatest1ize]

Very useful for people who would like to address the choices authors make when creating their works!

[@windjammer9284]

Great interview! Thanks for sharing!

[@genevaneale729]

I would have read this book in my own voice, including my own dialect and intonations. I am AN Author who empower my own presentations. i LIKE Chimamanda words about "editing, writing clarity. Wow. great. Geneva M. Neale (Audain)

[@lorol5224]

lovely interview. i'm a diasporan African immigrant with natural hair and I can't tell you how many times some African Americans have immediately put me in a box (woke, feminist, unapologetically black, christian, etc) when i do not consider myself any of those things (and then the ensuing hostility when they realize i do not fit into those boxes) - those are labels being imposed on me. Also, there are many things i don't agree with because of the lack of context in the supposed dialogue - i in my opinion there's hardly any kind of meaningful dialog on twitter, vs sitting down with someone and having an open hearted discussion. Maybe this is why i so identified with the character Ifem - that she was mainly interested in being herself (all her selves) and not fitting all the boxes imposed on her by the culture or others.

[@thebookbuddie1832]

Loro This is true....so relatable

[@booboobunny5655]

I consider myself all of those things and I'm still not accepted either. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@michawill6599]

42:55 Three marriages, different levels of blackness. Zadie is so funny.

[@ericgrabowski3896]

Reading "White Teeth" now. Love her intermingling of cultures. Really good book. Dope video. Great conversation.

[@410BK]

YES! Thank you for re-uploading this!

[@thekusiwaa]

Omg!! I’m from Ghana🇬🇭and I probably read about over100 or so Mills and Boon also the other book Harlequin Gosh growing up in an English speaking West African country that was the # 1 choice of book for girls period..... Those days reading was all u had and u had to hide it from your parents as well cause that is your only source of learning about sexuality “romance” etc that was our soft porn haha😂 This was b4 24hrs TV or internet Good times ❤️😍 we read more then.

[@nikitamaheshwary]

this is like a dream coming true. both of them in conversation :)

[@ugoibeawuchi28]

Chimmamanda is an original A rare gem She is herself at all moments Exceptional human being

[@kimberlyjohn3185]

Having these two people in conversation is like Christmas plus birthday times ten for me

[@NoisyHill_]

I admire them. Intelligent, intellectual, confident women - and hot babes, as Adichie said ;)Definately role models for me, although I'm not a writer but a student. (It's sometimes tough staying confident stating your point of view, in class for example. For men it seems so much easier and I'm still not sure why exactly that is.)

[@caracas787]

As always its a pleasure to listen to Chimamanda.Only slight problem for me was when the first question was censored by Zadie Smith.

[@michawill6599]

She couldn't read it - illegible

[@derrionbrown3923]

When Queens get together!!

[@billyalarie929]

I cannot believe this actually happened. What an incredible and essential moment.

[@Cinzia_256]

To really love something is a gift.... some of the truest words ever spoken

[@earthakittsghost1391]

I didn't truly began to understand Africa until i worked in a call center filled with Africans.

[@oyindas5832]

Adrienne Jackson lol how was that for you. I can only imagine

[@earthakittsghost1391]

They would talk about travelling abroad the way i talk about going to the grocery store. They are not saddled with the same invisible limitations blacks put on ourselves, and they speak English better than most Americans. They are constantly in need of the aid of westeners, and most of the time resent it. So much more but, i don't want to reply an essay. lol

[@harterton]

Tookie Jackson no. Please do

[@michael7880]

Tookie Jackson

[@mmmkzwr]

what a duo !

[@mikelorji2505]

igbos are so proud of you

[@lysscatherine]

this is great! thanks for sharing :)

[@cynthaseyezr]

TWO QUEENNSSS

[@London_miss234]

Enjoyed this.

[@Kobe29261]

Thank you!

[@sonnyfields1417]

Amazing discussion! Thanks Zadie and Chimamanda

[@angelicakweku5293]

I can't believe I missed this. Oh well, I was in Nigeria then.

[@fionaokeefe1906]

chichi is funny lol I laughed!

[@WelshBathBoy]

As a white British person it was so annoying the signal was lost when Zadie was speaking about her experience as a black person in the UK. We don't often get to hear it, we often hear US stories but being black in the UK will be different (not necessarily better!). As Chimamanda jokes in a different interview, how a white British person said "oh isn't racism in America bad", and Chimamanda rolled her eyes at her! I will now scour youtube for more Zadie videos and find out!

[@2msvalkyrie529]

You don't often get to hear about racism in the UK. ?!? ! REALLY ? There's a whole ( and well paid ) industry devoted to being a "Victim ' of racism..

[@dfwherbie8814]

Yeah, Chimamanda just hit a nerve for me. Reminds me of when I wrote an essay in high school. The teacher gave me a “0.” In all red. All caps, ending in an exclamation point lol. After class, I went up to hear and ask, “why did you give me a 0?” She looked at me and said, “because it’s clear that you didn’t write it.” Oh man, I caused mayhem in that classroom. It was the last time I went back.

[@lindah2148]

My goodness! That's infuriating

[@jbeebaz5194]

Your purpose is opportunity that comes your way after due & deligent preparations, and taking full advantage of it and progrssuvely using the success it produces to better yr life as well as the society as a whole. We all hv multi purposes in life so let us not make the mistake of reducing it just to one. That is why you can be a Medical doctor at some point in yr life, and also becoming a successful fashion designer... Tnks

[@myrapearson263]

Thank you for sharing this! :D

[@RashmikaLikesBooks]

"In Britain, nobody would call me sister in a thousand years. Unless perhaps they were Rastafarian or something." I am ROLLING on the floor laughing at these two. I love the rapport they have.

[@ifigenia1212]

Un alma caritativa que traduzca!

[@meleika8274]

Oh god, so beautiful 😣😢

[@wacundirangu1661]

Yes Kenya 🇰🇪 does have left over Brits however our day to day life is not around the racism/colour concept. This is was just a FRANK discussion.

[@kevaughncampbell7343]

I was an early fan adichie good to see her success over all

[@Orjazzmfr]

Is there the script of the interview somewhere please?

[@WilytheWicked7]

Zadie seems very relaxed in this conversation, not so nervous as she is as someone white.

[@dillyobi3646]

+Weldon Johnson Zadie's mum is black jamaican! She is light skinned but not white.

[@selamMen81]

Weldon Johnson it's like you didn't listen/watch the interview . she mentions several times that she was raised by a Jamaican Mother

[@adira-o6n]

Love the interview, but why is the audience interjecting so much. It’s not appropriate.

[@Taislany]

Great video doll x

[@fionaappplebottomjeans]

MY 2 FAVS

[@zorayar1]

I agree Zadie is super funny, Zoraya del Rio

[@jasminehouston-burns1691]

Immensely beautiful women. Their chemistry which I would hope was a light flirtation ("... also a hot babe") but charming nonetheless is astounding and amazing and healing to be privy to.

[@SikiDlanga]

What chemistry? it's just two people having a conversation. A chemistry with words maybe but that's just about it.

[@jasminehouston-burns1691]

Siki Dlanga Gurl, bye. I was talking about their genuine admiration for each other.

[@donaenoble7835]

@@jasminehouston-burns1691 your initial comments contradict you

[@jasminehouston-burns1691]

@@donaenoble7835 No they don't, go sit down somewhere.

[@donaenoble7835]

@@jasminehouston-burns1691??? your quote '.... was a light flirtation...'

[@salaminamosese3140]

Love both these incredible women.

[@mikelorji2505]

easters part of nigerian respect your decision

[@kokiriflourist]

Love this interview, but I'm wondering why it was censored. I looked for a transcript online but couldn't find anything. What did they cut out?

[@selamMen81]

Samuel Crippen I don't think it was censored. sometimes these types of events just have shit equipment.

[@JosueNeves100]

Does someone know the book being read by Chimamanda in the beginning? Think I missed it...

[@ubongabasi3599]

Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie.

[@Kabeyavictoria]

Interesting shit I like it

[@mogligondorff8700]

Nigeria is gonna go down so hard when the oils runs out. It will be brutal.

[@girlwiththemagicpen]

Then I'll look for you when that happens :P

[@milojetkins]

what is the third.1

[@myrapearson263]

At 36:39 the video stops for a few seconds

[@AliceP.]

I was halfway the interview when Zadie mentioned a gangrape in wich the boy in Yellow Sun participates and now I'm so upset because it didn't appear SPOILER ALERT anywhere and I haven't yet read this book :(

[@fennyyahtaylor6772]

Chimamanda is funny

[@DarkePacific]

240p we meet again...

[@mikelorji2505]

nne chukwu gozie gi

[@ipsilonia]

zadie a little out of pocket with some of her comments, which makes sense why she had such an ignorant take on palestinian liberation

[@topgurl9313]

Lost signal?! I wanted to hear that part!!!!! So annoying

[@AbhishekYadav-im4qv]

My

[@vincentkline5338]

Zadie is a bit upper crust... very school teacherly. Her film reviews were the best! I wish she would semi regularly "critique" movies though know she'd be run out of town... all towns.

[@commonzac]

Zadie is actually working-class. Chimamanda is more upper-crust, in terms of class. Maybe Zadie is more of an intellectual.

[@PHlophe]

both ladies are intellectual. Zadie is a solid middle class and by naija standards Chi is on equally solid ground socially.

[@MH-et4bo]

I think I've read at least 90 M&B books too as a kid. Horrible.

[@notcosteffective9920]

Lost signal

[@Omoihoro]

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN IS A LITERARY FORGERY A claim for copyright infringement has been made by Anne Giwa-Amu against Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Biyi Bandele and Harper Collins Publishers in relation to the literary work, Half of A Yellow Sun. Anne Giwa-Amu, a law graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science, is demanding damages and an account of profit as a consequence of the infringement of her copyright in the literary work entitled ‘SADE’. In legal papers submitted to the Court, Ms Giwa-Amu alleged: “As a substantial amount of original material found in SADE, an earlier copyright work also appears in Half of A Yellow Sun a later work...Ms Adichie could not have included this by coincidence”. Ms Giwa-Amu alleged that in 1998 she sent a copy of her manuscript to Heinemann Educational Books Ltd, Nigeria. “Chinua Achebe, a writer linked to the Biafra propaganda effort, was the main decision maker on the Board of Directors at Heinemann”. Ms Giwa-Amu was informed that Chinua Achebe read and accepted SADE for publication for senior secondary school in Nigeria under the sub-title ‘SADE United We Stand’. Chinua Achebe later endorsed and promoted Half of A yellow Sun and one of his poems appears on the first page which would have entitled him to royalties from the sale of Half of A Yellow Sun. Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie and Biyi Bandele share the same literary agent, The Wylie Agency. During an interview with the Premium Times, Ms Adichie claimed that after the publication of her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, Chinua Achebe tried to arrange a meeting with her. Ms Adichie claims that after this communication she wrote Half of A Yellow Sun. Although Ms Adichie was not born until 1977 and did not experience the civil war, she claims to have written the novel after reading thirty-one books by other authors. In the legal papers, Ms Giwa-Amu alleged that Ms Adichie rewrote her novel SADE by copying the setting, structure, plot, language, themes, characterization, incidents, content, form, subject matter, supporting arguments and scenes. Ms Giwa-Amu has claimed that every incident from her literary work, SADE, has been reword and expanded upon to create a literary forgery Claim number CO1CF281 County Court at Cardiff, Cardiff Civil Justice Centre, 2 Park Street, Cardiff. CF10 1ET For details contact: [e-mail]

[@damianeze7292]

You said “alleged” not yet convicted? Why not hold your fire until then, anyway, no matter what happens with the case, we remain proud of her in so many ways. She has got something no one can take away from her and that we cherish so much.

[@8AUGS]

@@damianeze7292 This R R is Anne Giwa-Amu herself. I just came across exact complaint she wrote on someone's blog. It seems she is trying to gain notoriety through Chimamanda's name. I won't read any of her books now, even if they were free.

[@sr0242]

let us hope that Donald Trump stop this! Okay? Yes i do.

[@SaHayes-it2uw]

Fail