She was standing naked on the wharf in Boston harbor, covered only by an old carpet. The frail little girl, just seven, kidnapped from home and family in Africa and forced into the dark hold of a slaveship for the horrific Middle Passage across the Atlantic, was purchased as a house slave by a wealthy Boston family in 1761.
By the time Phillis Wheatley turned 20, this gifted young slave had become an international celebrity. She would meet George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and the Lord Mayor of London, all of whom received her warmly, praising her talents. Her 1773 volume of poems, the first book published by an African-American, featured a lifelike portrait of the author, making Phillis Wheatley the most famous person of African descent in the world.
How did this young woman, a slave who arrived in this country unable to speak, read or write a word of English, become a classic poet whose work is now anthologized in every major collection of American poetry? It is astonishing that there are no current biographies of Phillis Wheatley for adult readers. Until now.
SNATCH’D! tells the real story of Phillis Wheatley, slave poet. Featuring her own authentic statements along with observations written by those who knew her, taken from available primary sources, contemporary letters, articles and a memoir by a member of the Wheatley family, a clear unforgettable picture emerges of a supremely confident creative artist with her rough edges filled in by recent insights from modern Wheatley scholars.
SNATCH’D! opens the heart of the poet and allows us a glimpse at her genius. Here, in narrative form, are the intimate details describing how this lowly slave came to share her amazing gift of poetry with the world.
Posted By: Richard Kigel
Saturday, October 2nd 2010 at 5:00PM
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