Buchi Emecheta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buchi Emecheta
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| Born |
Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta
21 July 1944 |
| Died | 25 January 2017 (aged 72) London, England
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| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Education | Methodist Girls' School, Yaba, Lagos; University of London |
| Occupation | Writer |
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Notable work
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Florence Onyebuchi "Buchi" Emecheta (born 21 July 1944 – died 25 January 2017) was an amazing writer from Nigeria. She moved to the UK in 1962. Buchi wrote many novels, plays, and even books for children.
She wrote over 20 books. Some of her most famous ones include Second Class Citizen (1974) and The Joys of Motherhood (1979). Her stories often explored important ideas. These included child slavery, being a mother, and women finding their own freedom. She also wrote about how education can change lives.
Buchi Emecheta once said her stories were about "the world." She meant they showed how women everywhere face similar challenges. These challenges include poverty and unfair treatment. Her books often looked at the differences between old traditions and new ways of life. She was known as one of the first successful Black women novelists in Britain after 1948.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Buchi Emecheta was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on 21 July 1944. Her parents, Alice and Jeremy, were from the Igbo community. Her father worked on the railway.
Her novel, The Slave Girl (1977), was inspired by her mother. Her mother, Alice, had been sold into slavery by her brother. This happened so he could buy special silk for a dance. When her mistress died, Alice became free and returned home.
At first, young Buchi was kept at home while her younger brother went to school. This was because of the way girls were treated back then. But Buchi convinced her parents that her education was important. She then went to an all-girls' missionary school.
When she was nine, her father passed away. A year later, Buchi received a full scholarship. This allowed her to attend Methodist Girls' High School in Yaba, Lagos. She stayed there until she was 16. During this time, her mother also died, leaving Buchi an orphan.
In 1960, she married Sylvester Onwordi. They had been engaged since she was 11. She had her first daughter that same year. In 1961, their son was born.
Sylvester moved to London for university in 1962. Buchi joined him with their two children. She had five children in total over six years. Her marriage was difficult. She wrote about these challenges in her books, like Second-Class Citizen.
Buchi wrote in her free time to stay strong. Her husband did not like her writing. He even burned her first book manuscript. She had to rewrite it completely. This rewritten book was The Bride Price, published in 1976.
At 22, pregnant with her fifth child, Buchi left her husband. She worked hard to support her children alone. She earned a degree in Sociology from the University of London in 1972. She later earned her PhD from the same university in 1991. She once wrote that her survival during those years was "a miracle."
Career
Buchi Emecheta started writing about her life as a Black woman in Britain. She wrote a regular column in the New Statesman magazine. These writings became her first book, In the Ditch, published in 1972. This book was partly about her own life. It told the story of Adah, a character living in a housing estate and raising five children.
Her second novel, Second-Class Citizen (1974), also used her own experiences. Both books were later put together in one volume called Adah's Story (1983). These stories showed Buchi's main ideas. These were about wanting fair treatment, self-confidence, and respect as a woman. Her later books, like Gwendolen (1989) and Kehinde (1994), explored the lives of immigrants in Great Britain.
From 1965 to 1969, Buchi worked as a librarian at the British Museum in London. She also worked with young people and in communities. All this time, she kept writing more novels. These included The Bride Price (1976) and The Joys of Motherhood (1979). She also wrote children's books like Titch the Cat (1979).
As a successful author, Buchi Emecheta traveled a lot. She was a visiting professor at many universities. She taught in America and at the University of Calabar in Nigeria. In 1982, she and her son Sylvester started their own publishing company. It was called Ogwugwu Afor Publishing Company. They published her book Double Yoke (1982) there.
Buchi Emecheta worked with many groups that supported culture and literature. She was part of the advisory council for the Caine Prize for African Writing.
Buchi Emecheta had a stroke in 2010. She passed away in London on 25 January 2017, at the age of 72. Most of her stories focused on the challenges faced by women and Black people. These were often based on her own life as a single mother and a Black woman in the UK.
Awards and Recognition
Buchi Emecheta received many honors for her writing. In 1978, she won the Jock Campbell Prize for her novel The Slave Girl. She was also named one of Granta magazine's "Best of Young British Novelists" in 1983.
In September 2004, she was in a famous photograph called "A Great Day in London." This picture showed 50 Black and Asian writers who had greatly contributed to British literature. In 2005, she received an OBE. This is a special honor given for services to literature.
She also received an honorary doctorate degree from Farleigh Dickinson University in 1992.
Legacy
After Buchi Emecheta passed away, her son Sylvester Onwordi created the Buchi Emecheta Foundation in 2017. This charity helps with reading and education projects in the UK and Africa. It was launched in London in 2018. New editions of her books were also published by her son's company, Omenala Press.
Many writers, critics, and artists gathered to celebrate Buchi Emecheta. People came from all over the world to honor her work.
In August 2018, BBC History Magazine listed Buchi Emecheta as one of 100 women who changed the world. She was number 98 on their list.
In March 2019, a brewery in London launched a football kit. It featured artwork of inspiring women from the area, including Buchi Emecheta.
On 21 July 2019, which would have been her 75th birthday, Google honored her with a special Google Doodle.
In October 2019, a new library space for students at Goldsmiths, University of London, was named after Buchi Emecheta.
In October 2021, her novel Second Class Citizen was reissued as a Penguin Modern Classic. This shows how important her work remains today.
Works
Novels
- In the Ditch (1972)
- Second Class Citizen (1974)
- The Bride Price (1976)
- The Slave Girl (1977); winner of the New Statesman's 1978 Jock Campbell Award
- The Joys of Motherhood (1979)
- The Moonlight Bride (1981)
- Destination Biafra (1982)
- Naira Power (1982)
- Adah's Story [In the Ditch/Second-Class Citizen] (London: Allison & Busby, 1983).
- Double Yoke (1982)
- A Kind of Marriage (London: Macmillan, 1986); Pacesetter Novels series.
- Gwendolen (1989). Published in the US as The Family
- Kehinde (1994)
- The New Tribe (2000)
Autobiography
- Head above Water (1984; 1986)
Children's/Young Adults' Books
- Titch the Cat (illustrated by Thomas Joseph; 1979)
- Nowhere to Play (illustrated by Peter Archer; 1980)
- The Wrestling Match (1981)
Plays
- Juju Landlord (episode of Crown Court), Granada Television, 1975.
- A Kind of Marriage, BBC television, 1976.
- Family Bargain, BBC Television, 1987.
See also
In Spanish: Buchi Emecheta para niños
