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.
The insatiable hunger that forces The Prince to drain the lifeblood of his victims, mirrors that of the colonial slave system. Colonizers exploited and drained the life from Black bodies to feed their endless greed, underscoring not just the physical brutality of enslavement but also the mental, cultural, spiritual, and emotional violence inflicted on the enslaved.
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.