Bruce Chatwin's debut novel: "Conrad's Heart of Darkness seen
through a microscope" (The Atlantic)
In this vivid, powerful novel, Chatwin tells of Francisco Manoel de
Silva, a poor Brazilian adventurer who sails to Dahomey in West Africa
to trade for slaves and amass his fortune. His plans exceed his dreams,
and soon he is the Viceroy of Ouidah, master of all slave trading in
Dahomey. But the ghastly business of slave trading and the open savagery
of life in Dahomey slowly consume Manoel's wealth and sanity.