An intelligent, fiercely independent young slave attempts to flee a Virginia plantation during the early 1800s, only to be betrayed by his own father. A first novel. 15,000 first printing.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A slave flees a Virginia plantation in 1810; his father divulges his whereabouts to their master, hoping to win leniency; instead, the runaway is caught and whipped to death, just one day after his mother has died. This stark tragedy unfolds through a chorus of alternating voices in this fiercely lyrical, powerful fiction debut by Guyanese poet D'Aguiar (Mama Dot). The intense guilt felt by Whitechapel, the anguished father who inadvertently betrays his son, Chapel, drives the narrative. Sanders Junior, a sadistic overseer, kills Chapel without realizing that they are half-brothers (through an act of rape by Sanders Senior). Another pivotal element that broadens the story is Chapel's doomed love affair with Lydia, the plantation master's free-spirited, abolitionist daughter, with whom he plans to escape to freedom. Through a series of mock contemporary newspaper editorials inserted into the text, D'Aguiar incisively represents the struggle of racist Virginia planters to reconcile slaveholding with Christianity. He also explores the conflict among African American slaves between obedient, stoic survivalists and defiant rebels, adding resonance to his haunting tale.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The early 19th-century Virginia plantation that forms the setting of this first novel by a prize-winning Guyanese poet and playwright is a remarkable place, peopled with philosophical types of the sort that inhabit the TV series Picket Fences: the wise old slave who is forced to watch his wife's rebellious son flogged to death, the "enlightened" plantation owner who eschews such punishment, the local newspaper editor, and even the cruel overseer who is able to reflect on his fate and argue issues. The plot concerns a young slave, in love with a white girl, who is inadvertently betrayed by his father when he attempts to flee. Readers who can suspend disbelief and slough off the didacticism will be rewarded by D'Aguiar's lyrical and evocative rendering of this singular American tragedy through the various points of view-in modes ranging from rhymed couplets to diary entries and editorials-of each of the participants. For general collections.
David Sowd, formerly with Stark Cty. District Lib., Canton, Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
David Sowd, formerly with Stark Cty. District Lib., Canton, Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating format and beautifully written content,
By Cori Knauss (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Longest Memory (Paperback)
My reason for purchasing this book was that I had the author, Fred D'Aguiar, as a professor twice while I was in college. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Miami, and is the most wonderful teacher I have ever had. My respect and admiration for him blossomed even more when I read THE LONGEST MEMORY. I have never read a book that changes point of views by chapter, but this book became one of my favorites of all time. Reading the experiences of everyone involved really brings a different perspective. I loved this book so much that I read it twice and passed it on to my mother, who especially liked the letter written to THE VIRGINIAN newspaper. Fred D'Aguiar's vivid description and emotion make this a "must-read!"
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A piece of American history brought to life,
By
This review is from: The Longest Memory (Paperback)
This book is not brilliant writing but it is brilliant in its ability to shed light on the various attitudes towards slavery in Virginia in the late 1700's and early 1800's. One hears the voices of a slave whom maintains his dignity in spite of his position, of an overseer to fathers a child with a young slave, of a plantation owner whose views lead him to act with kindness towards his slaves to his social detriment, of the owner's daughter who dreams of emancipation of slaves ... each responding to the life and death of an intelligent young slave with dreams of being a poet. The net result is a book that allows one insight into the institution of slavery - the mindset that permits a master/slave relationship; that shows the economic forces that weakened the value of slavery and helped percipitate the events leaading up to the Civil War.This is not a book that you will easily forget - rather it is one that forces one to consider the interrelationships between people - past or present.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable !,
By Mareea (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Longest Memory: A Novel (Hardcover)
D'Aguiar's novel 'The Longest Memory' is both a heartwrenching emotional rollercoaster ride and significant historical account of the brutal slave system of a bygone era. D'Aguiar weaves a compelling tale told from the perspective of the drama's protagonists. Although this text is not a play, it provides the reader with vignettes that convey the deep dark secrets of slave owner, overseer, lover and slave. We are compelled through 200 years if hindsight, to see if our "predictions" are correct. D'Aguiar does not disappoint, the destruction of a runaway slave only adds to burning need for slavery during the 1700's to be abolished. If 'The Longest Memory' does not arouse the stirrings of condemnation for the destruction of humanity through acts fuelled by racism, then this novel is not for you. Indeed, as an Australian, the experience of American slavery is not far away from the destruction of our own Aboriginal people that were lulled into an idle existence, one that was forged out for them by their white Colonial rulers. It's time to wake up from the stupor of racism and ebrace one another. It is only through the memory of past mistakes that we can enjoy a trully liberating future! D'Aguiar's - The Longest Memory - ensures we will not forget.
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