Buchi Emecheta | |
---|---|
Born | Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta 21 July 1944 Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria |
Died | 25 January 2017 London, England | (aged 72)
Nationality | Nigerian |
Education | Methodist Girls' School University of London |
Occupation | Writer |
Notable work |
|
Buchi Emecheta OBE (born Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta; 21 July 1944 – 25 January 2017) was a Nigerian writer[1] who was the author of novels, plays, autobiography, and children's books. She first received notable critical attention for her 1974 novel, Second Class Citizen.[2] Her other books include The Bride Price (1976), The Slave Girl (1977) and The Joys of Motherhood (1979). Emecheta has been characterized as "the first successful black woman novelist living in Britain after 1948".[3]
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Emecheta drew in her writing on themes of child slavery, motherhood, female independence and freedom through education, gaining recognition from critics and honours especially with her debut novel, Second Class Citizen. Her works often explore the themes of culture, and tensions between tradition and modernity.[4] Most of her early novels were published by Allison and Busby, and her editor was Margaret Busby.[1]