Public-domain classic · African Literature · Memoir & Life Writing

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797)

Equiano's autobiography of his capture and enslavement, his life at sea, his purchase of his freedom and his work against the slave trade.

First published 1789 · 13 chapters · about 80,000 words · Igbo region of West Africa (by the author's account); published in London

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Rights and source

Public domain. First published 1789; every creator of the text and cover art died by 1797 (Olaudah Equiano, author, d. 1797; Frans van der Mijn, cover painting, d. 1783). Public domain in the United States (published before 1931) and in countries whose copyright term is life plus 70 years or less, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Nigeria. Text and cover from Standard Ebooks, whose own work is dedicated to the public domain (CC0 1.0).

Rights checked 2026-10-23. Source: Standard Ebooks. Edition prepared by Standard Ebooks and dedicated to the public domain (CC0 1.0). Cover: painting by Frans van der Mijn (d. 1783), public domain.

A public-domain work by a historical author. Olaudah Equiano is not a contributor to The Insight Docket, and this book is not part of any contributor's readership or earnings.

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