The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, the African

Originally published in 1789, Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself is a slave narrative in which the author recounts his childhood, capture, life as an enslaved person, and emancipation. With its descriptions of life among the Igbo and the author’s experience of the Middle Passage, the book is a key text for studying the transatlantic slave trade and lives of people of African descent in the 18th century. The book gained a wide audience during debates around abolition in Great Britain and was reprinted multiple times. This guide is based on the text collected in Library of America’s print edition of Slave Narratives, published in 2000.

Summary

Equiano opens the volume with a letter to members of the British Parliament. He begs them to ignore any defects in his work because of the righteousness of his cause, the abolition of slavery.

In Chapter 1, Equiano describes his life in Essaka (located in modern-day Nigeria) prior to his kidnapping.

In Chapter 2, Equiano recounts his capture, journey to the North American Atlantic coast, and the conditions he experiences during the journey across the Atlantic, known as the Middle Passage.