This definitive biography tells the story of the former slave olaudah equiano 1745. The interesting life of olaudah equiano or gustavus vassa, the african, first published in 1789, is the autobiography of olaudah equiano. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The paramount role of literacy and religious development in equiano and cugoano s narratives is.
Literacy and the humanizing project in olaudah equianos the. As a free man on a central american plantation, he supervised slaves. Kidnapped and taken into slavery, he worked on plantations in grenada before being brought to england, where he obtained his freedom. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano is published by norton critical edition. In his biography, he records he was born in what is now nigeria, kidnapped and sold into slavery as a child. Biography of a selfmade man, winner of the annibel jenkins prize, and the life and letters of philip quaque, the first. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by olaudah. Classic books library presents this brand new edition of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, an autobiography published in 1798. Cugoano arrived in england, where he began writing letters to newspapers. Vincent carretta, professor of english at the university of maryland, is currently a senior fellow at harvard universitys w. See all books authored by vincent carretta, including thoughts and sentiments on the evil of slavery penguin classics, and equiano, the african. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano kindle edition by equiano, olaudah. The ill treatment of englands workers was compared to the ill treatment of slaves leading to calls for the end of slavery both at home and abroad.
It provides an insight into the africa he knew as a boy. According to james walvin equiano described his father as a local igbo eminence and slave owner. Vincent carretta is professor of english at the university of maryland, college park. Cugoano was the first published african critic of the transatlantic slave trade and the first african to demand publicly the total abolition of the trade and the freeing of enslaved africans. The interesting narrative and other writings 9780142437162 by olaudah equiano.
Olaudah equiano, was a former enslaved african, seaman and merchant who wrote an autobiography depicting the horrors of slavery and lobbied parliament for its abolition. He is the author or editor of more than ten books, including scholarly editions of the writings of olaudah equiano, phillis wheatley, ignatius sancho, and ottobah cugoano. In this autobiography, the author, olaudah equiano, detailed his life journey from african captivity to atlantic slavery to british freedom. Translated from a latin dissertation, which was honoured with the first prize in the university of cambridge, for the year 1785. She owned a boarding house and she worked as the governors housekeeper and cared for and taught africanborn children. About thoughts and sentiments on the evil of slavery. Books by olaudah equiano author of the interesting. In 1787, cugoano published a book called thoughts and sentiments on the evil and wicked traffic. A freed slaves daring assertion of the evils of slavery born in presentday ghana, quobna ottobah cugoano was kidnapped at the age of thirteen and sold into slavery by his fellow africans in 1770. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano.
Olaudah equiano and the art of spiritual autobiography adam potkay to read equiano as he asks to be read, we must first reexamine his wellknown talkingbook episode, which, strictly speaking, is about a book that refuses to talk. Olaudah equiano and the art of spiritual autobiography. The question and answer section for the life of olaudah equiano is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Jun 14, 2019 two former slaves, quobna ottobah cugoano and olaudah equiano wrote books about their experiences and travelled the country promoting abolition. Cugoano also developed close ties within the afrobriton community. Olaudah equiano and the beginnings of black autobiography contributions in military studies 97803256332 by costanzo, angelo and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The major figures he discussesottobah cugoano, olaudah equiano, david walker, and maria stewartengaged the concepts of. Olaudah equiano, phillis wheatley, ignatius sancho, and ottobah cugoano. Olaudah equiano has 80 books on goodreads with 32988 ratings. One black antislavery campaigner, who worked alongside equiano, was ottobah cugoano.
After its publication, equiano travelled around britain promoting his book and. Thomas clarkson and ottobah cugoano and the history of antislavery. Equianos narrative is often considered the prototypical slave narrative, even though it doesnt perfectly fit into the structure of slavery, escape, and freedom that tends to encapsulate the form. His father was one of the provinces elders who decided disputes.
The paramount role of literacy and religious development in. Cugoano, thoughts and sentiments on the evil of slavery, ed. An essay on the slavery and commerce of the human species, particularly the african. The life of olaudah equiano study guide from litcharts. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano in the classic slave narratives edited with an introduction by henry louis gates, jr new york. This site offers pages dedicated to black british writers before 1850, in particular ignatius sancho, olaudah equiano, and ottobah cugoano, as well as resources for the study of slavery, abolition, and emancipation. Ottobah cugoano, and olaudah equianopublished in london during the. Wheelock shows how black antislavery writers were able to counteract ideologies of white supremacy while fostering a sense of racial community and identity.
Thoughts and sentiments on the evil of slavery, new york. Memoirs of frederick douglass, underground railroad, 12 years a slave, incidents in life of a slave girl, narrative of sojourner truth, running a thousand miles for freedom and many more, p. In this, equiano tells us that he was born around the year 1745 in an area called eboe in guinea. He was freed, and he learned to read, gradually integrating himself into high society. Revised edition penguin classics 9780142437162 by olaudah equiano and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The freed slave whose epic book tour taught britain about. Read a description of the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. In 1787, with the help of his friend, olaudah equiano, he published an account of his experiences, narrative of the enslavement of a native of africa. Click download or read online button to get thomas clarkson and ottobah cugoano book now. Discover librarianselected research resources on ottobah cugoano from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Equiano purchased his freedom in 1766 and became active in the british antislavery movement. Four years later, in 1791, cugoano published a shorter version of his book, addressed to the sons of africa.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the interesting narrative and other writings. List of subscribers etext the life of olaudah equiano list of subscribers. Equiano, a former slave captured in africa and put to work in the west indies, published his autobiography, the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself, in 1789. In his autobiography, olaudah equiano writes that he was born in the eboe province, in the area that is now southern nigeria. With olaudah equiano he continued the struggle against slavery with public letters to london newspapers. The life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, written by himself new york. Olaudah equiano and the beginnings of black autobiography contributions in military studies angelo costanzo on. Cugoano and equianos books influenced public opinion. Olaudah equiano recounts his kidnapping at the age of ten in africa, his service as the slave of an officer in the british navy and his years of labour on slave ships until he was able to purchase his freedom in 1766. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Olaudah equianos the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano is one of historys most raw and multifaceted arguments for the abolition of slavery. Summary of narrative of the enslavement of ottobah cugoano. Equianos owner, the philadelphia quaker robert king, had in 1765 promised equiano that he could buy back his own freedom if he ever raised the sum of forty pounds, the price king had himself paid for equiano. Mar 17, 2005 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african written by himself language.
The book describes equianos time spent in slavery, and documents his attempts at becoming an independent man through his. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african. Literacy and the humanizing project in olaudah equianos. Literacy and the humanizing project in olaudah equianos the interesting narrative and ottobah cugoanos thoughts and sentiments jeffrey gunn university of glasgow any history of slavery must be written in large part. Thomas clarkson and ottobah cugoano download ebook pdf. He was born in 1757, in the part of africa now called ghana.
He wrote and published his narrative in 1789, at the height of the movement to abolish slavery in the british colonies. But it is one of the first in a long tradition of memoirs by former slaves that. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano. Du bois institute for african and african american research. Oct 24, 2005 he is the author or editor of more than ten books, including scholarly editions of the writings of olaudah equiano, phillis wheatley, ignatius sancho, and ottobah cugoano. Ottobah cugoano black history 365 black history month. In an interdisciplinary study of black intellectual history at the dawn of the nineteenth century, stefan m. In the preceding two years he had written some dozen forceful letters to london newspapers, praising new antislavery books, defending abolitionist. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. Costanzos book contains five chapters, but i chose to focus on two chapters, the spiritual autobiography and slave narrative of olaudah equiano.
Quobna ottobah cugoano and olaudah equiano advance the goals of the abolitionist movement through a groundbreaking political treatise and an influential autobiography. Thoughts and sentiments on the evil of slavery penguin classics. Equiano and cugoano each undergo a gradual shift from a stage where biblical passages are explained orally to one where they develop literacy and administer full command of the written word. Olaudah equiano was a former slave, who managed to purchase his freedom from his master before entering a career in politics where he became a founding member of the sons of africa which ran alongside the society for the abolition of the slave trade. The book seems to have been written with the help of olaudah equiano. With renewed motivation and good political connections, equiano, along with his friend ottobah cugoano, began to campaign for the end of the slave trade. A facinating autobiography, a tale of spiritual quest and fulfillment, a sophisticated treatise on religion, politics, and economics, the interesting narrative is a work of enduring literary and historical value. Ignatius sancho, quobna ottobah cugoano and olaudah equiano. Olaudah equiano 17451797 was a former slave who became an outspoken opponent of the slave trade. Ottabah cugoano circa 1757 after 1787 mary perth was among the first free black settlers from nova scotia canada to settle in freetown, sierra leone. He describes how he was kidnapped with his sister at around the age of. In england, cugoano converted to christianity and was baptized with the name john stuart.
This book skillfully examines the many literary devices utilized by the first black writers as they related their slave experiences and fashioned for their own use such literary techniques as the jeremiad. These efforts culminated in the publication of his interesting narrative. The book was successful both in spreading its message and in. A freed slaves daring assertion of the evils of slavery born in presentday ghana, quobna ottobah. List of books and articles about ottobah cugoano online. Born at agimaque, on the coast of fantyn and the country of fantee in what is presentday ghana, cugoano was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1770 p. Equiano and cugoanos narratives sit on the cusp of the first wave of the abolition. Thoughts and sentiments on the evil of slavery by quobna. In 1770, he was kidnapped and taken to the west indies, where he spent nearly a year enslaved on grenada. Olaudah equiano was born in essaka, an igbo village in the kingdom of benin now nigeria in 1745. Welcome to the journey, our fortyday blog series where were learning life lessons from the legacy of african american christianity. The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or.
No 79 the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano by olaudah equiano 1789. Seized and forced into the slave trade when he was only eleven, equiano tells his story as a member of the african upper class, to a subjugated slave, and finally as a free man. In 1787, possibly with the help of his friend olaudah equiano, cugoano published an attack on slavery entitled. In twelve chapters, equiano presented a body of evidence that helped to support the cause of abolition and the end of transatlantic slaving by britain and others. An illustrated biography almost everything we know about the first ten years of equianos life we find from equianos own account in the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano, or gustavus vassa, the african, published in 1789. Olaudah equianos most popular book is the interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equ.
Brycchan carey is an academic and author specialising in the history and culture of slavery and abolition in the british empire. Quobna ottobah cugoano and olaudah equiano posted on 28 september 2019 quobna ottobah cugoano and olaudah equiano advance the goals of the abolitionist movement through a groundbreaking political treatise and an influential autobiography. Literacy and the humanizing project in olaudah equiano s. With olaudah equiano he continued the struggle against slavery with. Here, the older and quite literate equiano recalls his first encounter with books, and his innocence of what they. His books include scholarly editions of the works of equiano and of equianos contemporaries ignatius sancho, ottobah cugoano, and phillis wheatley. This is an account of the slave trade by a native african, former slave. Cugoano s work has received far less consideration than equiano s interesting narrative 1789 and other late eighteenth and nineteenthcentury slave writing, and even less attention has been paid to the specific ways in which cugoano s argument for the abolition of slavery occasions important theoretical questions regarding the emergence and. He became a prominent figure among the free africans of late18thcentury london and in 1787 published an attack on slaver. Cugoanos work has received far less consideration than equianos interesting narrative 1789 and other late eighteenth and nineteenthcentury slave writing, and even less attention has been paid to the specific ways in which cugoanos argument for the abolition of slavery occasions important theoretical questions regarding the emergence and. When olaudah equiano published his autobiography in england in 1789, he achieved. Copies of his book was sent to george iii, edmund burke and other leading politicians. Narrative of the enslavement of ottobah cugoano, a native of africa.