black British literature
black British literature,Black British literature has its origins in slave narratives of the 18th cent., the most famous of which was Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative ( 1789 ), which became an instant best-seller, with thousands of copies being bought by sympathizers of the Abolition movement (widely regarded by historians as the first mass philanthropic movement in Britain). The book, which went through 17 editions and reprints between 1789 and 1827 , tells the story of Equiano's Ibo childhood; his kidnapping and enslavement in the Caribbean; his successful efforts to emancipate himself; and his subsequent travels in Britain and Europe as a free man. Equiano's story, packed with remarkable adventures, is a moving testimony to courage in the face of tragedy and despair; but although he did not hesitate to describe the brutalities of slavery, Equiano expressed no resentment against his masters: indeed it was the stress he placed...
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