Nigerian literary icon, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been awarded the “Best of the Best” of the winners of the second decade of the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. The announcement was made at the Piccadilly Theatre in London on Monday. Half of a Yellow Sun won the prize in 2007
Formerly called Orange Prize for fiction, the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction which was established in 1996, is awarded to the best novel of the year written by a woman. The award category is part of the celebrations to mark 20 years of the annual £30,000 prize.
Speaking on the award, the 38-year-old said “I have a lot of respect for the books that have won awards in the past 10 years and also for the books that have been shortlisted – I feel I am in very good company. To be selected as ‘Best of the Best’ of the past decade is such an honour. I’m very grateful and very happy.”
Other winners of the Baileys Prize from the last decade include Zadie Smith for On Beauty and Eimear McBride for A Girl is a Half-formed Thing.