‘Black Spartacus’: A biography of the man who may have been the first great anti-colonialist leader
Sudhir Hazareesingh’s book examines the life of Toussaint L’Ouverture, who brought revolution to Haiti and inspired the world.
Two portraits of Toussaint L’ouverture
|
Public domain / Wikimedia commons
“The name of Toussaint L’Ouverture is all but unknown in India,” remarked Ramananda Chatterjee, the editor of the Calcutta-based
Modern Review, in April 1908. “Lives such as his,” nevertheless, “may inspire us with self-confidence.” Chatterjee, whose
Modern Review was a fearless critic of imperialism and racism, printed for his readers a biographical sketch of this intrepid Haitian revolutionary leader. It ended with a poignant question: was he “the greatest man that has ever lived?”