The Joys of Motherhood

Buchi Emecheta was a Nigerian British author known for offering nuanced depictions of the challenges facing Nigerian women. Born in 1944 in Lagos, Nigeria, Emecheta convinced her parents to keep her in school longer than was typical for girls at that time. She had an arranged marriage in 1960 and later emigrated to England with her husband and two children. Her marriage was an unhappy one, and she eventually left her abusive husband, who was responsible for burning one of her early manuscripts. Following her success as a novelist, Emecheta went on to achieve critical and academic success, launching a career as a professor and lecturer. She died in 2017.

Many of Emecheta’s books take inspiration from her own life. Second Class Citizen, published in 1974, follows a Nigerian immigrant in England who struggles to provide for her children and becomes a librarian and author, mirroring Emecheta’s own experiences. The Slave Girl, published in 1977, draws inspiration from Emecheta’s mother’s experiences, whose brother sold her into slavery. Several plot elements from The Joys of Motherhood are likewise inspired by Emecheta’s parents’ experiences. For instance, Emecheta’s father was a railway worker who was drafted into the military and injured in Burma, just like Nnaife is in the novel.