The African (Courlander novel)

The African is a 1967 novel by Harold Courlander.

Plot

A young African boy, Hwesuhunu, is kidnapped from his homeland by French slave traders, 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.

Controversy

The novel became the subject of controversy when it was revealed that author Alex Haley had plagiarized sections of The African for his novel Roots^[1] which later was made into a 1977 television miniseries,^[2] a 1979 sequel miniseries,^[3] and a 2016 television miniseries remake.^[4]

In 1978, Haley paid Harold Courlander and his publisher $650,000 to drop a plagiarism lawsuit.^[2]

References