Jargal

Book excerpt: Historical novel by Victor Hugo set in 1791, during the tumultuous early years of the slave revolt that would lead to the Haitian Revolution, and the creation of the black republic of Haiti in 1804. The novel follows the interracial friendship and rivalry between the enslaved African prince of the title and a French military officer named Leopold D'Auverney. First published in 1826, it is a reworked version of an earlier short story of the same title published in the magazine "Le conservateur littéraire" in 1820. Several English translations have been published; the first, a modified version with the title "The slave-king" was published in 1833.