Barry Unsworth won the Booker Prize with SACRED HUNGER and has been shortlisted for PASCALI'S ISLAND and MORALITY PLAY. He is author of many other acclaimed novels. Originally from Durham he now lives in Italy.
Centering on the voyage of a mid-18th-century slave-trading ship, this is a magnificent tale of corruption and greed, of men under pressure and moral choices. In 1752, on a wave of optimism, the Liverpool Merchant sets sail to buy and sell African slaves. The owner and captain are looking for a quick profit; the crew are seduced by visions of lewd African women. But once the slaves are on board disease spreads through the cramped ship, leading to acts of barbarity which bring about bloody consequences. Booker Prize winner 1992. (Kirkus UK)