'I had absolutely no idea that it would take off': Lawrence Hill reflects on 15 years of The Book of Negroes
The Book of Negroes, first published in 2007, has sold 800,000 copies in Canada
As Lawrence Hill's acclaimed novel The Book of Negroes celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2022, he told CBC Books that the book's lasting impact is still something he is both proud and amazed by.
"I was hoping that maybe The Book of Negroes would sell about 8,000 copies and have a slight improvement over my previous novel. I had absolutely no idea that it would take off the way it did," said Hill. It has sold 800,000 copies in Canada since publication in 2007, according to the books' publisher, HarperCollins Canada.
Hill is the Ontario author of novels such as The Book of Negroes, The Illegal, Some Great Thing and Any Known Blood and the memoir Black Berry, Sweet Juice. He also delivered the 2013 Massey Lectures, Blood: The Stuff of Life.
The Book of Negroes won CBC's Canada Reads in 2009 and was adapted into a six-part miniseries, which can be streamed on CBC Gem. His novel The Illegal also won Canada Reads in 2016, making Hill the only author to win CBC's battle of the books twice.
The Book of Negroes, which also won the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, was inspired by the Black Americans who were resettled in Nova Scotia. The book set him on the successful literary path he is on today, he said, adding it was the first book that he wrote that drew international attention.
"It's very hard for Canadians to get attention in the United States and in other key markets and in Europe and Asia. That book really opened up not just Canada but then the world to me." said Hill.
"I came to Nova Scotia to research it and I went to the city of Shelburne. Nobody knew of me or had any idea where I was at the time. The Black Heritage Society opened up their doors and shelves for me. There, I got to see for the first time, copies of the Book of Negroes document, which documented the actions of 3,000 Black Loyalists from New York City to Nova Scotia in 1783. It was my introduction to actually seeing this document on which I based the novel."
WATCH | Lawrence Hill meets Queen Elizabeth:
Hill will be on location in Halifax at the AfterWords Literary Festival with poet Sylvia D. Hamilton to talk about The Book of Negroes and its lasting impact on Sunday Oct. 2.
Hill will participate in several other events for the festival, including interviewing Lisa Moore, having an event for his debut book for young readers Beatrice and Croc Harry.
"It's a wonderful festival, not just in times of pandemic or semi post-pandemic, but in all times. We need community and what better way for artists to celebrate and to build community," said Hill. "It's about getting together to talk about books and where authors share their books and their thoughts with readers whether virtual or in-person."
Hill added that the AfterWords Literary Festival has special meaning for Hill, considering that Halifax played a big role in the creation of The Book of Negroes.
"More importantly, I feel that book helped make Canadians and Americans much more aware of this story — and much more aware of the textured and complex and rich history of Black people," said Hill.
"I am fond of Nova Scotia and Halifax because so much of my work has been centred there. I've been made to feel like an honorary Nova Scotian."
The AfterWords Literary Festival takes place in Halifax until Oct. 2. It features Canadian writers such as Waubgeshig Rice, Sharon Bala, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe and Sue Goyette.
The festival's complete program can be found on their website.
