TALLAHASSEE, FL -
The identity of the bestseller The Bondwoman’s Narrative author has been a
mystery for over a century. In September, Professor Gregg Hecimovich of Winthrop University discovered the
author’s name after a 10 year journey. Author Hannah Bond is actually Hannah
Crafts.
“I think there
was some suspended judgment because we didn’t have a traceable historical
person,” said William L. Andrews, a professor of English at the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “I was always waiting for someone to show me, and
he has.”
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The discovery of Crafts' identity brings up more questions about African American literature. Ceron L. Bryant, an instructor of literature at Florida A&M University, believes other stories are waiting to be discovered.
"It makes me think how many other slave narratives have we not found," said Bryant.
Hecimovich has verified Crafts’ identity through wills,
diaries, handwritten almanacs and public records. His work has been reviewed by
several scholars. In 2001 Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. won the book at an
auction and the book was released in 2002 by Warner Books now Grand Central
Publishing. Gates says that Hecimovich’s discovery answers a lingering question
that he had for over a decade.
“Words cannot
express how meaningful this is to African-American literary studies,” said
Gates. “It revolutionizes our understanding of the canon of black women’s
literature.”
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The book borrows passages from published texts such as Bleak
House and Jane Eyre. Hecimovich believes Crafts had access to the family
library. There are
still some clues that are left unanswered about Crafts.
“If it exists,
I’m going to find it,” Professor Hecimovich said. “It would be unbelievable.”
The Bondwoman’s Narrative is said to be the first novel
written by an African-American woman. Hecimovich plans to write a book on his
findings titled The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts.
By Breanna A.
Rittman
With contributions from The New York Times
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LitWorldWith contributions from The New York Times
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