THE SLAVE WHO BOUGHT HIS FREEDOM: Equiano's Story

by Karen--Adapt. by Kennerly ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 21, 1970

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself first appeared in 1789 in England; annotated and slightly abridged, with simplified punctuation and modernized spelling, it was issued here by Praeger in 1967 as Equiano's Travels and is also included in Bontemps' Great Slave Narratives (Beacon, 1969). All of which bears on this very free adaptation of a remarkable story, true to the spirit if not to the transitory fact. The adapter's liberties take the form of fleshing out incidents (as when Olaudah and his sister are kidnapped by African slavers), heightening the drama and building suspense (to Equiano's pristine eyes, the sea, the ship, the white men are incomprehensible; in retrospect, he knew them for what they were) and expanding such historically important episodes as the Middle Passage. That the seams don't show follows from Equiano's direct style and apt observations and the adapter's success in matching them: two slaves who foil the restraining nets and jump overboard go down waving their arms ""like happy madmen."" ""The man who had not made it was whipped almost to death. I was more puzzled than ever by white men: always wanting to keep us alive and yet always ready to kill us."" From Barbados (the slaves painted to hide any trace of disease) Equiano is transported to Virginia, where at this date (c. 1756) there are few Africans ""and none who could speak with me"": he is eleven. Bought by a London merchant-captain, he is made much of by the man's maidenly cousins--also made an educated Englishman: ""Where, before, I had feared everything, now I feared nothing--that in itself is very English."" But after sailing with his master against the French, he is duped and resold to a trader in the West Indies, and much of the balance tells of his enterprise, and guile, in earning the forty pounds for his freedom and ultimate return to England. ""For the first time in my life I wasn't obligated to anyone"" but he shipped out to Smyrna, signed on an Arctic voyage, set up a plantation in Central America--whether slave or free he is active, resilient, alert. To appreciate his astuteness one should read Equiano's Travels or its counterpart; but for youngsters the story of The Slave Who Bought His Freedom is stranger and stronger than fiction.

Pub Date: May 21, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Baron

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION