The Viceroy of Ouidah

Bruce Chatwin, the well-known British author and winner of numerous prestigious awards, takes a leading place among writers of his time. This edition presents two of his remarkable novels: “On the Black Hill” and “The Vice-Roy of Uida.” “The Vice-Roy of Uida” is a vivid, saturated novel that immerses the reader in the atmosphere of the African continent. Often compared to Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” this novel tells of real events from the life of a Brazilian adventurer, Francisco Manuel da Silva. He sets off for Dahomey—famous for its dangers, now Benin—with the goal of becoming a powerful slave trader. But Africa is merciless both to outsiders and to its own people, and Francisco Manuel becomes a captive of the brutal reality of the Slave Coast. In 1987, director Werner Herzog adapted the novel for the screen under the title “The Green Cobra,” starring Klaus Kinski in the leading role. These novels are published in Russian for the first time.