Half of a Yellow Sun
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been named ‘Best of the Best’ of the
winners of the second decade of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. The announcement was made last night, Monday November 2nd, at a live event in the Piccadilly Theatre in London.
The ‘Best of the Best’ was chosen from the ten novels that
have won the prize in the past decade. The chairs of the judging panels
read from each of the ten prize-winning novels before the ‘Best of the
Best’ announcement.
Adichie commented; “I have a lot of respect for the books that have
won in the past ten 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.”
Half of a Yellow Sun won the Bailey’s Women’s Prize in 2007 (when it was still known as the Orange Prize).
Muriel Gray, Chair of Judges, said: “While it’s sometimes pompous to
call a book ‘important’, it’s appropriate to say it of Half of a Yellow
Sun. Chimamanda’s achievement makes Half of a Yellow Sun not just a
worthy winner of this most special of prizes, but a benchmark for
excellence in fiction writing.”
Syl Saller, Chief Marketing Officer of Diageo, the Prize sponsors,
added, “It is a delight to shine a light on the women who have shaped
the literary landscape for the past decade. Chimamanda is an exceptional
talent and a truly worthy winner of the Best of the Best accolade.”
The announcement marks the climax of celebrations to mark twenty
years of the prize. In a double win for Adichie, HALF OF A YELLOW SUN
was also the public’s choice for the “Best of the Best” award in vote
hosted on the BBC website.
The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction is the world’s most prestigious
annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Established in 1996,
it celebrates and promotes fiction by women throughout the world to the
widest range of readers possible.
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