My Brain Stopped Working For A Long Time – Chimamanda Adichie Speaks On Motherhood

Renowned Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie has opened up on her experience as a mother and the toll it took on her career.

She shared her personal experience as a mother and how it affected her creativity.

Adichie stated that if she had not given birth to her daughter she might have written two more novels.

She, however, said that motherhood is a glorious experience and has brought a certain level of awareness that feeds her fiction.

Adichie shared her experience during an interview on BBC’s Woman’s Hour.

She said: “Becoming a mother is a glorious gift but it comes at a cost and I think it’s important to acknowledge that, right?

“There is something that we… and I will say ‘lose’.

“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 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. And just 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.”