Shipwrecked on Tromelin Island
Publisher
:
M. Lafon
Parution date
:
EAN
:
9782749909905
Number of pages
:
371
Description
***Winner of the Grand Prix du Roman Historique 2009***
***Over 100, 000 copies sold in France***
. . . the facts, in their abomination, suffice. Being the great scholar that she is, the author knows how to bring history to life.
—Le Point
In the middle of the eighteenth century, 60 people were left stranded on an uninhabited island in the Indian Ocean for 15 years. Irène Frain seeks to uncover the mystery and bases her historical novel on careful research of those who survived. The ABC television show Lost may look tame in comparison with this extraordinary tale.
July 31, 1761: a French ship illegally transporting slaves from Madagascar is shipwrecked off Tromelin Island in the Indian Ocean. The crew and the African slaves manage to work together to find food and water and a means to make fire and ultimately survive on this beautiful yet inhospitable island. Within a month, they have built a rescue boat ready to take them to safety . . . but the boat has room enough only for the crew. The 60 slaves—men, women, and children—are left behind. The crew promises to return for them, but it is not until 15 years later that another ship, with a different captain, is sent to find them. Against all odds, eight people had managed to keep themselves alive: seven women and an 8-month-old baby.
Shipping records, archeological digs, and testimonials helped Frain, who spent time on the island to write about this little-known chapter in the history of human rights. She gives voice to those who were aboard that ship, showing how their experiences were instrumental in the abolition of slavery.
Author
Irène Frain : Irène Frain is a historian and a journalist for Paris Match. Her other novels include Le Nabab (Jean-Claude Lattès, 1982; Prix des Maisons de la Presse), Devi (Fayard, 2003), Secret de famille (Jean-Claude Lattès, 1989; Prix RTL-Grand Public), and Le Royaume des femmes (Fayard, 2006).
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