Olaudah Equiano: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, 1789

Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745 – 31 March 1797), also known as Gustavus Vassa, was a prominent African involved in the British movement towards the abolition of the slave trade.

His autobiography depicted the horrors of slavery and helped influence British lawmakers to abolish the slave trade through the Slave Trade Act of 1807.[3]

Despite his enslavement as a young man, Equiano purchased his freedom and worked as an author, merchant and explorer in South America, the Caribbean, the Arctic, the American colonies, and the United Kingdom.

Director's Note: Jonathan Ned Katz was told that this autobiography of an African man includes a description of Equiano's romantic friendship with another man. Will you read this book and tell us more, and provide selected quotes and citations?

OPEN ENTRY: This entry is open to collaborative creation by anyone with evidence, citations, and analysis to share, so no particular, named creator is responsible for the accuracy and cogency of its content. Please use this entry's Comment section at the bottom of the page to suggest improvements about which you are unsure. Thanks.

This is a stub, an entry with no, little or incomplete data. If this entry is Open users are encouraged to add to it, or to leave comments in its Discuss section. If this entry is Protected, users are encouraged to use its Discuss section to suggest new data, sources, citations, or edits.

Publication History

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. First publication: 1789. <Where and by who?>

First American printing:1791. <Where and by who?>

Republished in England: 1814. <Where and by who?>

Abridged edition published in 1829 as prize for children in New York City's Free African Schools. <Where and by who?>

Reprinted in 1837 by Isaac Knapp. <Where?>

Modern edition ed. by Robert J. Allison. <Pub data?>

Edition in Classic Slave Narratives edited by Gates.

Research Request: The above bibliography needs all the publication data. It would also be interesting to have the basic biographical data on the author in an entry.