It was the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution. Black enslaved people across the Caribbean were revolting. Rising from the ashes of the plantations and manor houses was a tale about a night creature who would try to build a new world.
Regarded as the first work of gothic fiction to feature a Black protagonist, "The Black Vampyre," published in 1819, is about an African vampire. Yet, beneath this horror story is a scathing critique of slavery and the brutal colonialism that dehumanized Black bodies.
Regarded as the first work of gothic fiction to feature a Black protagonist, "The Black Vampyre," published in 1819, is about an African vampire. Yet, beneath this horror story is a scathing critique of slavery and the brutal colonialism that dehumanized Black bodies.
Not only was a Black protagonist revolutionary, but having him be a victim of slavery and vampirism as well as the vengeful aggressor, challenged everything Eurocentric colonialism held close. He even had a white wife and multiracial children.
This tale is both a remarkable work of fiction and a compelling narrative that challenges the status quo. The Prince's actions, though violent, speak to a deeper truth: the colonial system, built on the exploitation of Black labor, was the real bloodsucker.