The African (Courlander novel)
 First edition | |
| Author | Harold Courlander |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Published | 1967 |
| Publisher | Crown Publishers |
| Publication place | United States |
The African is a 1967 novel by Harold Courlander. By 1978 14,000 hard-cover and 130,000 paperback copies of the book were sold.[1]
Plot
[edit]A twelve-year-old African boy, Hwesuhunu, is kidnapped from his homeland by French slave traders,[2] and endures the terrors of the Middle Passage and being sold into slavery. Hwesuhunu is brought to the island of Saint Lucia, and is later sold to a Georgia plantation for US$100.
He is assigned the new name of Wes Hunu, and spends years as a slave before escaping and living for a time with Native Americans. Hwesuhunu goes to Freedom Island, a refuge located in a swamp, that sheltered escaped slaves. But the refuge is governed by a cruel bully, so Hwesuhunu leaves in search of a better home.[2]
Roots controversy
[edit]The novel became the subject of controversy when it was revealed that author Alex Haley had plagiarized sections of The African for his own 1976 novel Roots,[3] which later was made into a 1977 television miniseries,[4] a 1979 sequel miniseries, and a 2016 television miniseries remake.[5]
In 1978, Haley paid Courlander and his publisher $650,000 (~$2.38 million in 2023) as out-of-court settlement of the lawsuit.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Arnold H. Lubasch, 'Roots' Plagiarism Suit Is Settled, The New York Times, December 15, 1978, Section A, Page 1
- ^ a b Kirkus Review of The African
- ^ Eric Fettemann, The Celebrated 'Roots' Of a Lie, New York Post, January 16, 2002
- ^ a b Clarence Page, Alex Haley's Facts Can Be Doubted, But Not His Truth, Chicago Tribune, March 10, 1993
- ^ Poniewozik, James (May 29, 2016). "Review: 'Roots' for a Black Lives Matter Era". The New York Times.
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