Conference Paper: From History to Fiction: Adapting Stories of Trans-Atlantic Slavery to Novel Conference Paper: From History to Fiction: Adapting Stories of Trans-Atlantic Slavery to Novel

This paper explores how individual stories of the Atlantic slave trade can be adapted to fiction by examining Manu Herbstein’s 2000 book, Ama – A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Through the fictitious character of Ama, a young girl who became a victim of the trade, Herbstein weaves a complex story that allows readers to journey with and have a deep sense of experiences of the enslaved. Generally, the paper further considers how historical events converted to fiction can be regarded as adaptation. In its various definitions, adaptation has commonly been described as a retelling, reworking, reconfiguration or altered versions of a source text compelling one to question its relationship to history. This evokes wider questions such as whether history is itself a type of adaptation, the connection between history and fiction, and why authors combine history with fiction. By doing a close reading of Ama, I intend to examine these questions while simultaneously discussing various themes in African Atlantic slavery featured by the author, but which have been overlooked in traditional textbooks. I hypothesise that historical novels are a form of adaptation given that authors, like professional historians consult primary and secondary sources in their attempt to tell a story which enhances readers understanding of an event or a part of it.