Renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Adichie, candidly shares the impact of motherhood on her career, revealing that her brain seemed to have “stopped working for a long time.” In an interview on BBC’s Woman’s Hour, Adichie reflects on the glorious gift of motherhood while acknowledging the creative toll it took.
Adichie discloses, “Becoming a mother is a glorious gift but it comes at a cost, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that.” She contemplates the trade-offs, expressing, “I felt that I could probably have written two novels had I not had my child. But I think that having her also sort of opened me up to this new, almost a new phase of experience and awareness that I’m hoping will feed my fiction.”
Even during pregnancy, Adichie sensed a shift in her creative process, describing, “Even before I had her, when I was pregnant, I felt as though my brain had been wrapped in gauze. So, my brain didn’t work for a long time.” Despite the challenges, she sees this period as part of her journey, stating, “More creatively, I think I am making my way back because I am working on a novel finally. But I just wasn’t able to get into my fictional space for a long time.”
