The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by Olaudah Equiano ISBN 9780142437162, 0142437166, B002EBDOQK instant download

The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by Olaudah Equiano ISBN 9780142437162, 0142437166, B002EBDOQK instant download

Entitled The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789), the book went through nine editions in his lifetime, with translations into Russian, German and Dutch. It is one of the earliest-known examples of published writing by an African writer to be widely read in England. By 1792, it was a best seller and had been published in Russia, Germany, Holland and the United States. It was the first influential slave narrative of what became a large literary genre. 

Equiano's experience in slavery was quite different from that of most slaves; he did not participate in field work, he served his owners personally and went to sea, was taught to read and write, and worked in trading. His personal account of slavery, his journey of advancement, and his experiences as a black immigrant caused a sensation on publication. The book fuelled a growing anti-slavery movement in Great Britain, Europe and the New World.