author
William Wells Brown
d. 1884
Born into slavery and later escaping to freedom, this pioneering writer turned lived experience into powerful books, lectures, and history. His work helped shape American antislavery literature and opened doors for Black authors in several genres.
13 Audiobooks
The Escape; Or, A Leap For Freedom: A Drama, in Five Acts
by William Wells Brown
Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave
by William Wells Brown
Clotel; Or, The President's Daughter
by William Wells Brown
Clotelle; Or, The Colored Heroine, a tale of the Southern States; Or, The President's Daughter
by William Wells Brown
Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave. Second Edition
by William Wells Brown
The Rising Son; or, the Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored Race
by William Wells Brown
The Negro in the American Rebellion: His Heroism and His Fidelity
by William Wells Brown
Three Years in Europe: Places I Have Seen and People I Have Met
by William Wells Brown
Clotelle: A Tale of the Southern States
by William Wells Brown
The Black Man: His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements
by William Wells Brown
My Southern Home: Or, the South and Its People
by William Wells Brown
Illustrated Edition of the Life and Escape of Wm. Wells Brown from American Slavery Written by Himself
by William Wells Brown
The Anti-slavery Harp: A Collection of Songs for Anti-slavery Meetings
by William Wells Brown
About the author
Born in Kentucky in 1814, William Wells Brown escaped slavery in 1834 and went on to become a major voice in the abolitionist movement. He lectured widely, wrote about slavery from firsthand experience, and built a career that joined activism with storytelling.
Brown is often remembered as a literary trailblazer. He published the slave narrative Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave in 1847, and he is widely credited as the first African American to publish a novel, a play, and a travel book. His best-known novel, Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter (1853), used fiction to confront the realities and hypocrisies of slavery.
He also wrote history and biography, expanding his work beyond autobiography and fiction. Brown died in 1884, but his writing still stands out for its clarity, energy, and determination to tell the truth about American life.