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 on Monday, at the
Piccadilly Theatre in London.
The 'Best of the Best' was chosen from 10 novels that have won the
prize in the past decade. Chairs of the judging panels read from each
of the 10 prize-winning novels before the 'Best of the Best'
announcement.
On the award, Adichie, from Abba in Njikoka Local Government Area of
Anambra State, 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."
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." The announcement marks the climax
of celebrations to mark 20 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 a 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.
-TheSunNews
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