Novelist Adichie Calls “A Lie A Lie”

Adichie said ‘Art can illuminate politics,’ adding that it is important to have a wide diversity of voices not because we want to be politically correct, but because we want to be accurate

At a press conference marking the start of the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair, Nigerian novelist and short-story author Chimimanda Adichie spoke of a need for new storytellers in the contemporary world.

“Adichie’s remarks were personal, and political, and lyrical and just pitch perfect to kick off the 2018 fair,” Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer, reports. “Adichie said ‘Art can illuminate politics,’ adding that it is important to have a wide diversity of voices not because we want to be politically correct, but because we want to be accurate.”

Adichie’s award-winning novels, including most recently Americanah have established her as a major literary talent with a global audience. But she is also well-known for her feminism and political activism, Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

“Adichie wasted no time in setting a political tone. She called out, ‘the most powerful nation on earth’ for today acting more like ‘a feudal court,’ full of intrigue, and hubris. Adichie said that ‘we must know what is true. We must say what is true. And we must call a lie a lie.’”

This year marked the 70th anniversary of the modern Frankfurt Book Fair, though the world’s largest publishing trade show can trace its roots to 1454, shortly after Johannes Gutenberg built the first movable type printing press in Mainz near present-day Frankfurt.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.