Novel
O escravo
Not translated into English
José Evaristo de Almeida · 1856
Synopsis
On the island of Santiago, a slave and a free woman become attached to each other in a society where colour governs everything: what one may own, marry, say and do. The narrative follows the manoeuvres of those around them to prevent it, the customs that weigh more heavily than the law, and what it costs each of the two. The construction is that of the adventure novel of its day, with its coincidences and recognitions.
Context
The book appeared in Lisbon, written on the spot by a Portuguese civil servant whose service had taken him to the islands, and it is the first novel devoted to the archipelago. The plot is set in 1835, near a height on Santiago where a slave revolt had taken place, and critics see in it a foundational text, which denounces early on the iniquities of slavery and gives the leading roles to a Black man and a mixed-race woman. A Praia newspaper serialised it in 1916 and 1917; it was not until 1989 that a second edition appeared, printed in six hundred copies.
Who it is for
A novel of old-fashioned construction, whose value is primarily historical. It is read in Portuguese, no French edition having appeared.
Prizes and reception
The first novel about Cape Verde, it has been reissued in the archipelago and is studied in Lusophone universities.