The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: in context by Discovering Literature – British Library

Explore more Discovering Literature articles

discovering_literature — 2025-07-25 10:08:08 UTC

Explore 100 of our best loved articles, perfect for teachers of Years 10–13.

African writers and Black thought in 18th-century Britain

discovering_literature — 2025-07-25 10:08:39 UTC

By 1780, Britain had a Black population of at least 20,000 people. S I Martin describes how four writers, taken from Africa as children and sold into slavery, grew up to write works that challenged British ideas about race, called for African brotherhood and demanded the abolition of the slave trade.

Black literature timeline

discovering_literature — 2025-08-28 15:42:35 UTC

Explore the rich history of Black writing and literature in Britain. Discover the literary timeline, download our teacher's resource pack, and delve into audio-visual sources.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Equiano's autobiography, book tour, legacy

discovering_literature — 2025-09-02 09:36:16 UTC

In this film, S I Martin and Sandra A Agard introduce Olaudah Equiano and his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African. Discover more about the book, Black and African writers in 18th-19th century Britain, Equiano’s abolitionist campaigning, and his legacy.

A one-minute introduction to Olaudah Equiano

discovering_literature — 2026-01-13 12:44:29 UTC