Nineteenth-Century African American Narratives in Britain and Ireland - by Celeste-Marie Bernier & Hannah-Rose Murray (Hardcover)

About the Book

Brings together pioneering literary works by African American authors who made a revolutionary impact on UK and Irish nineteenth-century transatlantic literary cultures and political histories

Book Synopsis

This is the first scholarly anthology of nineteen narratives written by African American authors and published in Britain and Ireland in the nineteenth century.
These literary works share the powerful life stories of inspirationally pioneering writers: Charles Freeman, Phebe Ann Jacobs, Benjamin Crompton Chisley/William Jones, John Hart, John Williams, Henry (surname unknown), James Watkins, William Gustavus Allen, John Comber, Sarah Parker Remond, James Cheeney Thompson, Dinah Hope Browne, John Sella Martin, Lewis Smith, James Alfred Johnson, D. E. Tobias and Benjamin William Brown.
Their narratives are reproduced alongside an in-depth introductory essay, author biographies, scholarly annotations and a detailed bibliography.
All these authors testify to their lifelong 'fight for freedom' across their radical and revolutionary works. Throughout their lives, they warred against the 'sufferings and horrors' of enslavement as a centuries-old 'cursed institution.' 'Words are weapons' in their fight for Black liberation. Across their life's works, they protested against the rise of the 'spirit of slavery' in white supremacist and white racist American and British transatlantic societies.

From the Back Cover

[headline] Brings together pioneering literary works by African American authors who made a revolutionary impact on UK and Irish nineteenth-century transatlantic literary cultures and political histories This is the first scholarly anthology of nineteen narratives written by African American authors and published in Britain and Ireland in the nineteenth century. These literary works share the powerful life stories of inspirationally pioneering writers: Charles Freeman, Phebe Ann Jacobs, Benjamin Crompton Chisley/William Jones, John Hart, John Williams, Henry (surname unknown), James Watkins, William Gustavus Allen, John Comber, Sarah Parker Remond, James Cheeney Thompson, Dinah Hope Browne, John Sella Martin, Lewis Smith, James Alfred Johnson, D. E. Tobias and Benjamin William Brown. Their narratives are reproduced alongside an in-depth introductory essay, author biographies, scholarly annotations and a detailed bibliography. All these authors testify to their lifelong 'fight for freedom' across their radical and revolutionary works. Throughout their lives, they warred against the 'sufferings and horrors' of enslavement as a centuries-old 'cursed institution.' 'Words are weapons' in their fight for Black liberation. Across their life's works, they protested against the rise of the 'spirit of slavery' in white supremacist and white racist American and British transatlantic societies. [bios]Celeste-Marie Bernier is Professor of United States and Atlantic Studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She is the author/ editor/ curator of over 85 books, exhibitions, essays, and digital educational resources including the forthcoming Douglass Family Lives: Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass Family Biography and Collected Works eight book series. Hannah-Rose Murray is a Teaching Fellow in US History at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Her first book, Advocates of Freedom: African American Transatlantic Abolitionism in the British Isles, was published in 2020. Her accompanying website (www.frederickdouglassinbritain.com) maps thousands of Black activist speaking locations in Britain and Ireland and is the basis for her community and heritage work.

Review Quotes

Nineteenth-Century African American Narratives in Britain and Ireland presents a remarkable collection of narratives penned by self-liberated American individuals in the UK. These nineteenth narratives enrich our collective knowledge, empathy, and appreciation for the resilience of those who endured enslavement. This important collection resonates with profound historical significance.

--Bill E. Lawson, University of Memphis

About the Author

Celeste-Marie Bernier is Professor of United States and Atlantic Studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She is the author/ editor/ curator of over 85 books, exhibitions, essays, and digital educational resources including the forthcoming Douglass Family Lives: Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass Family Biography and Collected Works eight book series.

Hannah-Rose Murray is a Teaching Fellow in US History at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Her first book, Advocates of Freedom: African American Transatlantic Abolitionism in the British Isles, was published in 2020. Her accompanying website (www.frederickdouglassinbritain.com) maps thousands of Black activist speaking locations in Britain and Ireland and is the basis for her community and heritage work.

Queen Mary, University of London