The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself by Olaudah Equiano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Truth be told, I was confused by this book, this “autobiography”. The title says The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and it certainly was interesting. However, I kept asking myself why reading this autobiography felt more like reading Gulliver’s Travels than a former slave’s account of his life.
It was very abridged, leaving out the horrors and tragedy that a slave may have witnessed by the hands of their owner. I sincerely do not want to sound bloodthirsty or in need of sensational stories, but the nature of the author’s abridged narration left much to the imagination with respect to the brutality this person must have witnessed and endured. At the end, all the reader is left with is a succession of travel logs, mostly describing naval procedures and including naval language that leaves the modern reader at a loss from time to time.
As a whole this book was still quite educational, since it provided the narration from the point of view of the sufferer and one, who actually lived during the 1700’s.
Once in a while throughout the narration and especially towards the end the reader can feel the anguish and long-lasting effects slavery has had on the author/protagonist.
Overall, I still found it an interesting and engaging read. It is a worthwhile reader to anyone involved in the study of black Atlantic literature.
