An African's Life
Life and Times of Olaudah Equiano, 1745-97

A biography of Olaudah Equiano, a prominent African in late 18th-century Britain. More than any single contemporary, Equiano speaks for the fate of millions of Africans in the era of the transatlantic slave trade. This study seeks to create a rounded portrait of the man behind the literary image.

The autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, a prominent African in late 18th-century Britain, is quoted, anthologized and interpreted in dozens of books and articles. More than any single contemporary, Equiano speaks for the fate of millions of Africans in the era of the transatlantic slave trade. This study attempts to create a rounded portrait of the man behind the literary image, and to study Equiano in the context of Atlantic slavery.

Part 1 From Africa to slavery: Africa remembered
slave ships and landfall. Part 2 Varieties of slavery: a slave at sea
England, slaves and freedom
West Indian slavery
working for freedom
freedom in the shadow of slavery. Part 3 An English life: seeking salvation
all at sea again
life in England. Part 4 Public figure: back to Africa
the campaign against the slave trade
the book
black enlightenment. Part 5 Afterwards: decline and fall - and rediscovery.