The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman's Narrative

FAIN: FZ-230912-15

Gregg Alan Hecimovich
Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC 29733-7001)

A biography of the fugitive slave who authored a 19th-century American slave narrative discovered in 2001 and published in 2002 to great fanfare, becoming an instant bestseller.

In 2001, the celebrated scholar and historian, Henry Louis Gates Jr., purchased a manuscript at auction titled "The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts a Fugitive Slave Recently Escaped from North Carolina." Gates authenticated it, and then published it in 2002 to great fanfare. The work became an instant New York Times Bestseller. But while Gates confirmed that the author's probable master was John Hill Wheeler, he could not locate the mixed-race, fugitive slave who called herself "Hannah Crafts." My book identifies the first, black female novelist as Hannah Bond "Crafts" and tells the story of her life and the search for her identity. At once a detective story, a literary chase, and a cultural history, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts discovers a Dickensian tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and interracial intrigue against the backdrop of America's slide into Civil War.

Associated Products

“Searching for Hannah Crafts, the First African-American Novelist” (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: “Searching for Hannah Crafts, the First African-American Novelist”
Abstract: Earlie E. Thorpe Lecture Series. I presented parts of my book-in-progress.
Author: Gregg Hecimovich
Date: 10/18/2015
Location: North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina.

“The True Story of Hannah Crafts, America’s First Black Female Novelist” (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: “The True Story of Hannah Crafts, America’s First Black Female Novelist”
Abstract: Public Lecture Series, The National Humanities Center. I presented a selection of readings from my book-in-progress, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts.
Author: Gregg Hecimovich
Date: 02/11/2016
Location: Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

"Hannah Bond and Eastern North Carolina" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: "Hannah Bond and Eastern North Carolina"
Abstract: I shared selections from my book-in-progress, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts.
Author: Gregg Hecimovich
Date: 10/22/16
Location: Edenton, North Carolina

The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman's Narrative (Book)
Title: The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman's Narrative
Author: Gregg Alan Hecimovich
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=62334735
Primary URL Description: WorldCat entry (62334735)
Publisher: Ecco
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 62334735

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