Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (‘Dream Count’) Has Some Notes

“Everything’s changed,” says author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “I’ve changed, and every book is a different person.” It’s true: in the 12 years since the release of her best-seller, Americanah, Adichie has oscillated between beloved novelist, public intellectual, and feminist icon. This spring, however, she’s returned to her true love: fiction.

We sat recently to discuss her excellent new book, Dream Count (5:00), the decade-long writer’s block she pushed through to publish again (7:00), the profound, familial loss that upended her life (16:00), and the experience that turned her into a feminist (25:00). Then, Adichie reflects on her childhood growing up in the aftermath of the Biafran War (28:00), the importance of seeing yourself in literature (34:00), her affinity for American universities (42:00), and how her racial awakening culminated in Americanah (42:00).

On the back-half: a wide-ranging, candid exchange around the erosion of free speech (53:00) and the American left (58:00), how she’s grappled with backlash (1:09:00), her case for intellectual curiosity (1:19:30), the prophetic work of W.E.B. Du Bois (1:25:00), and where she finds inspiration for the page (1:28:00).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.

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