author
Olive Gilbert
Best known as the woman who helped bring Sojourner Truth’s life story into print, this 19th-century writer played an important part in preserving one of the most powerful voices in American history. Her work on Narrative of Sojourner Truth helped carry Truth’s words to a wider audience.
1 Audiobook
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
by Olive Gilbert, Sojourner Truth
About the author
Olive Gilbert was an American writer remembered chiefly for her collaboration with Sojourner Truth on Narrative of Sojourner Truth, first published in 1850. The book was dictated by Truth and edited by Gilbert, making Gilbert an important literary helper in recording a firsthand account of slavery, freedom, faith, and public activism.
Because Gilbert is much less documented than the woman whose story she helped preserve, many details of her life are hard to confirm. What is clear is that her name remains closely tied to one of the most important autobiographical works in 19th-century American history.
For listeners coming to this book today, Gilbert’s role is best understood as that of a careful intermediary: she helped shape spoken memories into a printed narrative that introduced many readers to Sojourner Truth’s life and message.