The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

by Olaudah Equiano

Overview

A first-person narrative of Olaudah Equiano’s journey from his native Africa to the New World, that follows his capture, introduction to Christianity and eventual release. His story is an eye-opening depiction of personal resilience in the face of structural oppression.

Olaudah Equiano’s origins are rooted in West Africa’s Eboe district, which is modern-day Nigeria. He details the shocking events that led up to his kidnapping and subsequent trade into slavery. His journey starts at 11 years old, forcing him to come of age in a society that abuses him at every turn. During his plight, he attempts to find new ways to survive, educating himself and eventually formulating a plan to obtain his freedom.

In The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, the author illustrates the harsh realities of slavery. Upon its release, the book was well-received and translated into multiple languages including German and Dutch. It set the precedent for many first-person narratives that would highlight their own unfathomable experiences.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781515428183
Publisher:	Wilder Publications
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	166
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) was a writer and abolitionist of West African descent, specifically Nigerian. His origins have been debated as some sources state his birthplace as South Carolina. Despite the discrepancy, his trying tale of survival during the Transatlantic slave trade is very true to life. Equiano detailed the harrowing experience in his autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789). It’s an early slave narrative that was used to condemn and expose the horrors of the practice.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Olaudah Equiano: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself.

Appendix A: Letters and Reviews

1. Letters and Reviews Added to Later Editions of The Interesting Narrative
2. Reviews of The Interesting Narrative Not Included in Equiano’s Editions
1. The Analytical Review, May 1789
2. The Gentleman’s Magazine, June 1789
3. The Oracle, 25 April, 1792
4. The Star, 27 April, 1792

Appendix B: Writings of the First Abolitionist Movement

1. Anthony Benezet, A Caution to Great Britain and her Colonies (1766)
2. Anthony Benezet, Some Historical Account of Guinea (1771)
3. Edmund Burke, An Account of the European Settlements in America (1758)
4. Thomas Clarkson, An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, Particularly the African (1788)
5. William Cowper,“The Negro’s Complaint” (1788)
6. J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, Letters from an American Farmer (1782)
7. Quobna Ottobah Cugoano, Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil and Wicked Traffic of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species (1787)
8. Alexander Falconbridge, An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)
9. Gilbert Francklyn, An Answer to the Rev. Mr. Clarkson’s Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, particularly the African (1789)
10. Benjamin Franklin, “On the Slave Trade” (1790)
11. James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw (1772)
12. Raymund Harris, Scriptural Researches on the Licitness of the Slave-Trade (1788)
13. David Hume,“Of National Characters” (1753-54)
14. Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia (1787)
15. John Marrant, A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings with John Marrant, a Black (1785)
16. John Newton, Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade (1788)
17. Malachy Postlethwayt, Britain’s Commercial Interest Explained and Improved (1757)
18. James Ramsay, An Essay on the Treatment and Conversion of African Slaves in the British Sugar Colonies (1784)
19. Benjamin Rush, A Vindication of the Address, to the Inhabitants of the British Settlements, on the Slavery of the Negroes in America (1773)
20. Ignatius Sancho, Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho (1782)
21. Granville Sharp, A Representation of the Injustice and Dangerous Tendency of Tolerating Slavery (1769)
22. James Tobin, Cursory Remarks upon the Reverend Mr. Ramsay’s Essay on the Treatment and Conversion of African Slaves in the Sugar Colonies (1785)
23. Gordon Turnbull, An Apology for Negro Slavery (1786)
24. John Wesley, Thoughts upon Slavery (1774)
25. William Wilberforce, The Speech of William Wilberforce … on the Question of the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1789)
26. Helen Maria Williams, “A Poem on the Bill Lately Passed for Regulating the Slave Trade” (1788)
27. Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Men (1790)
28. John Woolman, Some Considerations on the Keeping of Negroes (1754

Select Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

This new edition of Equiano…will become the text of choice for both scholars and students of the Black Atlantic.” — African American Review

“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is the foundational text of African-American autobiography. This welcome edition, ably edited by Angelo Costanzo, provides readers of today a generous introduction to Equiano’s life and times in a highly readable and informative format.” — William L. Andrews, University North Carolina, Chapel Hill

From the Publisher