Early life Olaudah Equiano was started around 1745 in the village "Essaka" near the Niger River, an area of the Igbo-speaking Nigeria, where his father was a leader who settled disputes between members of the tribe. Equiano, the youngest son lived with six brothers and sisters, a being younger than him, as part of a large family. At the tender age of eleven, Equiano and his sister were kidnapped and forced into slavery in a neighboring country.
He exchanged a couple of times before hewas sold to white slave traders and transported by ship across the Atlantic in Barbados in the Caribbean ..
Equiano was held a few days no more than two weeks in Barbados, before it was brought on board, "a sloop for North America," and finally "landed a river a good way from the sea, about Virginia county." The type of work that this guy just arrived in America, grass and weed the collection has been determined by field stones, and then blow his master was confined to bed consonantwith his age (probably under 10 years). Equiano was performed with Barbados on a ship other than Nancy, would most probably from the "Virginia County," in which a few Igbo were taken and then taken buiding in him feelings of isolation.
In the slave plantation in Virginia, where it was taken and committed Equiano, has watched with horror the treatment of other slaves in the house. He was with the use of an "iron muzzle" around the mouth in horror, to keep themso quiet you can barely talk or eat. The objects inside the house, surprised and scared him considerably. He also thought the picture on the wall behind him wherever he went, and a clock on the chimney would tell his master had done nothing wrong.
While there, he was seen and bought by Michael Pascal, a captain in the Royal Navy. Pascal renamed the Gustavus Vassa after King Gustav I of Sweden. Although initially detested the name Equiano,then used in most of his writings and was known to them.
Pascal's personal servant was as a training ship, and bring it to travel a lot in times of active struggle granted. He often worked as a sailor. His duties included carrying gunpowder to the gun decks. It was the Seven Years 'War' with France and England during the siege of Fort Louisburg in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Iceland.
He followed friends of Pascal, to attend school and learnto read in England. The other officials had already warned Equiano, although it has not been baptized, would not be able to enter heaven. So the Lord allows him to be baptized. What was the church of S. Margaret, Westminster, conducted in the month of February 1759 His honesty and reliability has earned him the friendship and support of many Englishmen.
Equiano soon disappointed. Despite a special treat after Pascal had Equiano, after the war was won, has not received its share of prize moneyThe money goes to the other sailors, but not his freedom. He was very disappointed because I felt that he had been deceived and betrayed.
Later, much to his dismay, he found himself was put on the market, but its many ships, skills made him too valuable to the work of the plantations. His industry knowledge hairstyle, wine making, arithmetic and its always made fully literate in English is less desirable to some slave traders. He was too well-educated and for somethat could navigate a ship many to fear from him. So it took some time before it could be sold
Eventually he was by Robert King, a Quaker merchant in Philadelphia, who conducted most of his activities in the Caribbean, which often trade in live animals with 'loads' acquired. From much of what he saw made him grateful for his Quaker master care of him. Even if you do not give a moment for him has no illusions about what led to the loss of freedom. He saw the ugliest side ofAmerican life in both North and South America. Even in Philadelphia, a city with the promise of brotherly love is, it noted with deep contempt for blacks freed, and the "looting" and "universally reviled", built without the possibility of restitution.
King, Equiano soon adapted to his shipping routes and in its stores operate, promised in 1765 that was paid for 40 pounds, the price for King Equiano was able to buy his freedom. King taught him to read and write more smoothly,raised him in the Christian faith, and allowed him to engage in his trading profitably as well as the name of his master, so that allows him to exceed 40 pounds to be honest. Consequently, Equiano succeeded in his early twenties to buy his freedom. Once he had earned his freedom, saving 40 pounds from his business instincts, the performance of their company, while the administration of the King - has vowed to never set foot on American soil.
This was achieved despiteKing invited him to remain as partners in business. For Equiano, was dangerous to remain free and the limitation in the British colonies in black America. For loading of a ship to Georgia, was almost kidnapped back into slavery. It 'was released only when the level of his education was made visible. Now he has decided to settle in London for the rest of his life. This he did in 1769. He made his living as a freelance hairdresser and a servant for wealthy Londoners. But hisSkills as a sailor and his curiosity made him restless always great for new adventures. But first he had learned the French horn that he played to keep playing to master the level of a musician. And has continued to expand his study of mathematics.
Equiano from its history of slavery, transportation, maritime slavery when the European war, kidnapping into slavery for the second time (from London to Montserrat), his travels and his freedom, wrappingreturn to London in 1767, when he was about 22 years. his adventures on the high seas from the Arctic 1773 expedition aboard the Royal Navy racehorses, and its rebirth as an ardent Anglican, ironically, by participating in a system with a slave-based plantation on the Miskito Coast (the Caribbean, Central America) followed by create. In the end, it was Equiano (still known as Vassa), anti-slavery movement, life, as it did in England in the mid-1780, the modalities for its1786-87 officially in the experiment, the "repatriation" (perhaps better thought to deport) Africans in Britain in Sierra Leone, a real service that has made him a controversial figure public. Equiano clearly inspired by his activism, to write and publish and distribute "interesting story" of his life, a story stronger, when one of the many internal contradictions and inconsistencies. Politicized memory as a work of personal history ..
Equiano remained at seafew years after purchasing his freedom. He traveled to the Arctic as an assistant to a surgeon and the Mediterranean as a waiter of a gentleman, and lived for a time among the Indians of Nicaragua Makito. Back in England, where, after the case of Somerset in 1772 it was announced that no person could be a slave in England itself.
Back in London, Equiano was involved in the abolitionist movement. The movement was particularly strong amongst Quakers, but it wasnondenominational. Equiano himself was largely Methodist, George Whitefield after the evangelization of the New World to take over the nation like a storm seemed to have been hit.
Equiano proved to be myself as a speaker and has been popular for many senior and influential writing for him and publish his life story encourages introduced. He was supported financially by philanthropic abolitionists and religious benefactors who sponsored his lectures and assisted him in preparingthe book. They were, among others, Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon.
This prototype of the slave narrative, a form of autobiography that began in the nineteenth century, a large international audience through his convincing first-hand testimony against slavery in two bulky volumes, tells a detailed story of maritime adventure, spiritual enlightenment and economic success in Britain and America. Equiano impressive in this publication represents the highest ideals ofhis time in the language of men and women. His account surprised many with the quality of his paintings, his vivid description of his mature style and his literary narrative lively, deep shame those who had not joined the effort to abolish it. Published under the title The interesting tale of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, the first in 1789 was a successful sold well and quickly went through several editions .- 36 numbers 1789-1857 andhas been translated into Dutch and German. It is said that one of the earliest known examples of writing from a published author of Africa. It 'was the first influential slave autobiography. His first-hand the horrors of slavery and the experiences of 18 black-century immigrants caused a sensation, fueling a growing anti-slavery movement in England.
After its publication to promote Equiano traveled extensively in England and Ireland.
Largely forgotten for 150Years and then rediscovered in 1960, Equiano is an interesting story today in the center of modern literature and history canonof Atlantic. And 'studies and studies in the area to be very different, such as Africa, African-American, American, Caribbean and world history / literature and similar courses in related disciplines. African Equiano is today regarded as the most famous and certainly the most famous self-identified (Igbo), in the early modern Atlantic world, or at leastleast, the era of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery. According to Henry Louis Gates Jr. Equiano "most important black man in the eighteenth century." Is
Surprisingly, when its importance is only a handful of Equiano attracted serious biographers. A job, a literary biography by Angelo Costanza, Surprising Narrative: Olaudah Equiano and the beginning of Black Autobiography (1987), was published two years ago, and another, rather uncritical, but still usefulhistorical biography of James Walvin, An African Life: The Life and Times of Olaudah Equiano, 1745-1797, was published in 1998. And the story has been extracted without end, and anthologies.
Equiano is seen essentially as a "self-made man." comparable with the most famous contemporary self-made man, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), whose autobiography was published posthumously in 1793, "rather than considering Equiano, an African-American would more accurately call Franklin FranklinAnglo-American Equiano "Indeed, Equiano own account, there was a moment in his life, in early 1759, when he felt the first time, not satirical, but seriously," almost an Englishman. "O" almost an Atlantic creole "
For further information:
Gates, Jr. and Louis Y. Nellie McKay, L (ed.), The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, New York 1997
AFRICAN Arts and Letters. A reference AZ of writers, musicians and artists of African American experiences
Paul Edwards. And, Equiano's Travels (Oxford: Heinemann, 1967);
Olaudah Equiano, the interesting narrative of Olaudah Equiano from _The Life and Himself_ wrote. Robert J. Allison (Boston: Bedford Books, 1995).
For the history of the publication of the narrative,
James Green, "The Publishing History of the Narrative_ interesting Olaudah Equiano" and _Slavery Abolition_ 16, No. 3 (1995): 362-375.
The interesting narrative and other writings, ed. Vincent Carretta (1995), 77
"OlaudahEquiano, or Gustavus Vassa? New light on the question of identity anEighteenth-Century, "and Abolition_ _Slavery 20, No 3 (1999). 96-105.
Paul E. Lovejoy, in the extensive review essay "Autobiography and Memory: Gustavus Vassa, Olaudah Equiano said, the African," and _Slavery Abolition_ 27, No 3 (2006) :317-347.
See also the exchange between the two irritable following:
Carretta, "Response to Paul Lovejoy's' Autobiography and Memory: Gustavus Vassa, Olaudah Equiano said, theAfrican "," _Slavery and
Abolition_ 28, No 1 (2007): 115-119, and Lovejoy, "Problems of motivation - Vassa / Equiano and Carretta's criticism of the Evidence"
And _Slavery Abolition_ 28, No 1 (2007): 121-125
Alexander X. Byrd, "Eboe, Country, Nation and Gustavus Vassa _INTERESTING narrative, the" William and Mary Quarterly_ 63, No 1 (2006): 123-148.
. Carretta, "Response to Paul Lovejoy,", 115
Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng and Deng Alephonsion, Spilled _They shot against usFrom the Sky: The True Story of three Lost Boys from Sudan_ (New York: Public Affairs, 2005).
Narrative_ _INTERESTING, ed. Carretta, 62
James Walvin _an, African life: The life and times of Olaudah Equiano, 1745-1797_ (London: Continum, 1998), 162, 164
