The creator of Netflix's hit 'The Polygamist' says women see themselves reflected in her story

The Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi self-funded her debut novel after publishers said there was no market for it — and the book, adapted for Netflix, has since become a global hit. The BBC reports that ‘The Polygamist’ is in the top ten of the platform’s most-streamed series in more than 60 countries, reaching number two in the United States, with actress Taraji P. Henson among those who binge-watched all 22 episodes in a day.

Nyathi published 500 copies of the novel herself in 2012. It tells the story of Joyce, who believes she has a monogamous marriage until she realises her husband has secretly set up homes with three other women. Nyathi, whose own great-grandfather had eleven wives, says she is not against traditional polygamy, but against what she calls its modernised version, which relies on deception instead of consent.

The adaptation moved the story to South Africa and filmed it in Zulu with subtitles, a choice Nyathi says carries a cultural richness that English cannot. Amnesty South Africa circulated guidance on narcissistic abuse after it aired, though a Kenyan official called for the series to be banned. Nyathi, who worked in finance for nearly two decades before writing full time, says the cost of writing is measured in the voices that are rarely heard.