The Headstrong Historian
"The Headstrong Historian" is a short story by Nigerian author Chimamanda [Ngozi Adichie]. It was first published in The New Yorker on 16 June 2008, and later as one of the twelve stories in The Thing Around Your Neck in 2009. It won the O. [Henry Prize] in 2010. The short story portrays Nwamgba as the protagonist. She seeks justice against her late husband's family and cousin over the murder as well as confiscation of her inheritance. It explores Adichie commonly used themes of culture, feminism, and social identity.
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart has been speculated by critics as the hypotext of the short story. Meanwhile, some critics have disputed the statement adding some similarities while stating the narratives of both doesn't relay easily.
Background
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in 1977 after the colonial rule of Nigeria. Although she started writing at age 15, her literary career began in 2003 with the publication of Purple Hibiscus. She went on to publish her second novel Half of a Yellow Sun in 2006. During those period, she wrote many articles for many periodicals and magazines as well as short stories, poems, and essays. It was during those period that she wrote "The Headstrong Historian" in a 2008 issue of The New Yorker. In an interview with Renee Shea for Kenyon Review, Adichie stated that she publishes in The New Yorker not only because they pay well, but also because they have high prestige. She published her first story "Cell One" in the magazine before the second one "The Headstrong Historian". She also stated that she "did not think was at all New Yorker material, so when my agent said she'd sent it there, I thought, why?"Adichie's work often explores themes of race, identity, marriage and gender, culture, and politics among others. They are particularly developed in the context of postcolonial Africa. She has also cited influence from authors of post-colonial literature like Chinua Achebe and Buchi Emecheta. During an interview, she was asked of her character Obierika who she wrote about her later life from Achebe's Things Fall Apart. She cited her inspiration from Achebe's work stating "I just took the name. It's a name I quite like. It means heart...obviously, though, reading it in Achebe's work was the beginning of loving the name". In 2009, she wrote her first short story collection The Thing Around Your Neck, which contained 12 short stories. Among the twelve stories was "The Headstrong Historian", a reprint of the 2008 edition. Most of Adichie's story in the collection were set in the US, but when asked if all were set in the US, she said "No, most are set in the US except for "Cell One" and "The Headstrong Historian".