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

Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) is the author of The Interesting Narrative. His work is significant because it is one of the founding examples of the slave narrative. The work, published in part to support efforts to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain in the late 18th century, serves as testimony not only to Equiano’s resilience in the face of extreme forms of abuse during his enslavement but also reflects his use of his literacy to write himself into several important parts of Anglo-American literary culture. Debates about the veracity of the text complicate how modern readers see Equiano’s effort at self-representation.

Equiano’s voice throughout the text is one that reflects the influence of exemplary figures in the literary culture of the day. Equiano takes care to present himself as a hardworking, thrifty, enterprising man who uses every opportunity to better himself. Just like memoir writers such as Benjamin Franklin, Equiano uses the text to catalog his character blemishes and describe how he addressed these character defects. In Equiano’s case, baptism, the sisters Guerin, and then conversion to Christianity are the events that put him on the road to a more moral life.