Chimamanda Adichie Confirms Birth Of Twin Boys, Reveals Why She Kept It Secret

Celebrated Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has announced that she and her husband, Ivara Esege, recently welcomed twin boys, adding to her family, including her nine-year-old daughter.

In an interview with The Guardian’s Charlotte Edwardes, Adichie opened up about the intense public curiosity surrounding her life, her personal losses, and the struggle of balancing motherhood with her writing career.

Known for keeping her private life away from the spotlight, the 47-year-old author explained that she chose to keep the birth of her twins secret to protect them.

She also revealed that many people never even knew she got married in 2009, adding that Nigerians tend to be very inquisitive, which has made her even more reserved about discussing her family.

She said, “You’ve met my babies. I want to protect my children. I’m OK with having them mentioned, but I don’t want the piece to become about them.”

For years, Chimamanda Adichie has managed to shield significant aspects of her personal life from public attention. Many were unaware of her marriage to Dr. Ivara Esege, a hospital physician.

She admitted that this decision was deliberate, as she prefers to keep certain things private.

Reflecting on her approach, she said, “So, here’s the thing, Nigerians are… they want to know about your personal life. Because of that, I am resistant. I very rarely talk about it.”

At 47, Adichie jokingly referred to herself as being at a “grand old age” and admitted she sometimes forgets how old she is.

Despite the challenges of motherhood, she has also been working on her highly anticipated novel, “Dream Count”, which took longer than expected to complete.

Set to be released on March 3, 2025, “Dream Count” follows the lives of four women, exploring themes of migration, identity, and societal pressures. It marks her return to fiction after more than a decade—a break she hadn’t planned.

She admitted that becoming a mother created a mental block that made fiction writing difficult.

“I didn’t want to leave such a long gap between novels. When I got pregnant [with her daughter], something just happened. I had a number of years in which I was almost existentially frightened that I wouldn’t write again. It was unbearable,” she said.

While she could still write nonfiction, fiction—her true passion—felt out of reach. However, she found a creative breakthrough while working on “Notes on Grief”, her 2021 memoir about losing her father in 2020.

During this period of mourning, she felt a shift in her creative process. As she struggled to put her grief into words, she found herself reconnecting with the flow of fiction writing.

Adichie also suffered another heartbreaking loss in 2021 when her mother passed away. Though she initially found it difficult to express her grief, she later realized that “Dream Count” had, in many ways, become a tribute to her mother.

“Only when I was almost done did I realise, my God, it’s about my mother. It wasn’t intentional. I’m happy that it’s not a sad book. She wouldn’t want a sad book dedicated to her,” she said.

KanyiDaily recalls that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was conferred with a chieftaincy title of ‘Odeluwa Abba’ in her native abba hometown, Njikoka LGA, Anambra State