The African
First edition
AuthorHarold Courlander
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Published1967
PublisherCrown Publishers

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

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]

Controversy

The novel became the subject of controversy when it was revealed that author Alex Haley had plagiarized sections of The African for his 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 Harold Courlander and his publisher $650,000 (~$2.3 million in 2022) as out-of-court settlement of the lawsuit.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Arnold H. Lubasch, 'Roots' Plagiarism Suit Is Settled, The New York Times, December 15, 1978, Section A, Page 1
  2. 1 2 Kirkus Review of The African
  3. ↑ Eric Fettemann, The Celebrated 'Roots' Of a Lie, New York Post, January 16, 2002
  4. 1 2 Clarence Page, Alex Haley's Facts Can Be Doubted, But Not His Truth, Chicago Tribune, March 10, 1993
  5. ↑ Poniewozik, James (May 29, 2016). "Review: 'Roots' for a Black Lives Matter Era". The New York Times.


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