Literature & Ideas
Peerless
Joseph Jeffrey Walters
c. 1860s – 1894
Wrote the earliest surviving novel published in English by a Black African
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the Liberia Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
Guanya Pau appeared in 1891 — a girl fleeing a forced marriage to a much older polygamous man. It is the earliest surviving novel in English by a Black African, and it was written by a Liberian.
Joseph Jeffrey Walters was born in Liberia to Vai parents some time in the 1860s.
His novel Guanya Pau: A Story of an African Princess, published in 1891, is the earliest surviving novel published in English by a Black African. It follows a girl betrothed as a child to a much older polygamous man who runs from her home rather than be married to him, and her attempt to reach the community where the man she loves is waiting. Long out of print, it has since been rediscovered and reissued. He died in 1894.
His novel Guanya Pau: A Story of an African Princess, published in 1891, is the earliest surviving novel published in English by a Black African. It follows a girl betrothed as a child to a much older polygamous man who runs from her home rather than be married to him, and her attempt to reach the community where the man she loves is waiting. Long out of print, it has since been rediscovered and reissued. He died in 1894.
- Wikipedia — Guanya Pau: A Story of an African Princess
- Publishers Weekly — Guanya Pau: A Story of an African Princess
- Broadview Press — Guanya Pau
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