The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano

02/2001 · Broadview Press

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The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano was a key work of nineteenth-century slave narrative autobiography. Written and published by Equiano, a former slave, it became a prototype for the narratives that followed. Kidnapped in Africa as a child, Equiano was transported to the Caribbean and then to Virginia, bought by a Quaker shipowner, and placed in service at sea. Aboard various American and British ships, he sailed throughout the world, and he continued to do so after having purchased his freedom in 1766. Once settled in London, he fought tirelessly to end slavery.

This edition of Equiano’s Narrative places the text in the center of abolitionist activity in the late eighteenth century. Equiano knew many of the leading abolitionist figures of his time, and this edition allows readers to trace the common ideas and cross-influences in the works of the political and literary figures who fought for the end of slavery in America and England. The original 1789 text of the narrative has been used for the Broadview edition with Equiano’s subsequent emendations included in the appendices.

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Angelo Costanzo, Professor Emeritus of English, Shippensburg University, is one of the world’s leading experts on Equiano. He has written on slave narratives and African-American literature, and is the author of Surprizing Narrative: Olaudah Equiano and the Beginnings of Black Autobiography.