The Black Corsair
The
Black Corsair is an 1898
adventure novel
written by Italian novelist Emilio
Salgari. Set in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, the novel narrates the exploits of Emilio Roccanera, Lord
of Ventimiglia
and his attempts to avenge his brothers, slain by the Duke Van Guld, now
Governor of Maracaibo.
The Lord of Ventimiglia, known throughout the Spanish Main as the Black
Corsair, allies himself with some of the greatest pirates and buccaneers of the
era: François L'Ollonais,
Michael the Basque
and Henry Morgan,
vowing never to rest until he attains his vengeance.
Plot summary
Two
pirates, Carmaux and Van Stiller, are rescued by the Thunder, a pirate
ship under the command of Emilio di Roccabruna of Roccanera, Lord of Valpenta
and of Ventimiglia, and feared throughout the Caribbean as the Black Corsair.
Once aboard, the two inform the captain that his younger brother the "Red
Corsair" has been hanged by Duke van Guld, the Governor of Maracaibo. The Black Corsair decides to sneak into the city to
retrieve his brother's body and give him an honourable burial at sea.
Carmaux
and Van Stiller accompany the Corsair to the city, and aided by their friend
Moko, manage to steal the body. After a series of adventures the Corsair and
his men return to the Thunder with the body. On the night the Corsair
buries his brother, he vows to slay Van Guld and all those who bear his name.
En
route to Tortuga,
the pirates attack and capture a Spanish ship. They find a young noblewoman
aboard, Honorata Willerman, the Duchess of Weltrendrem. She is taken captive to
Tortuga where she is to await payment of her ransom. Struck by her beauty and
spirit, the Corsair frees her and the two quickly fall in love.
The
hunt for Governor Van Guld resumes and the Black Corsair and L'Ollonais lead an
attack on Maracaibo. Unfortunately the governor escapes and the Black Corsair
and his companions must track him through the jungles of Venezuela. There they
encounter savage beasts, quick sand, and cannibals. Van Guld proves elusive and
to capture him the pirates must make an assault on the city of Gibraltar, Venezuela. But unfortunately, although they succeed in storming the
city, they are late: Van Guld has fled again.
Returning
to the Thunder, a Spanish prisoner reveals accidentally this terrible
truth, "Honorata Willerman" is really Honorata de Van Guld, Governor
Van Guld's daughter! So the Black Corsair must kill her because he has sworn to
kill all those bearing his hated enemy's name. Honorata is willing to accept
her death, but the Corsair is not able to kill her in cold blood and instead he
decides to maroon her on a fragile boat. While he sees her beloved Honorata
drifting away on a fragile boat which can sink at any moment, the Corsair
bursts into tears. "Look, Stiller, the Black Corsair is crying!" says
a grieving Carmaux.
Sequels
The
quest for vengeance stretches over the course of several novels: The Queen of the Caribbean (La regina dei Caraibi), Yolanda, the Black
Corsair's Daughter (Jolanda,
la figlia del Corsaro Nero), The Son of the Red Corsair (Il figlio del corsaro rosso) and The Last
Filibusters (Gli ultimi filibustieri).
Film versions
There
have been several film versions of the novel. In the 1920s, director Vitale Di
Stefano first brought the Corsair trilogy to the screen with a series of silent
films. In 1937, Amleto Palermi
directed the first remake of Il corsaro nero and Italian fencing champion Ciro
Verratti was cast to play the Black Corsair.
In 1944, Mexican director Chano
Urueta filmed El
corsario negro, the first Spanish language
adaptation. In 1976, Kabir Bedi
and Carole André
were reunited to portray The Black Corsair and Honorata in another Sergio
Sollima adaptation of a Salgari classic, The Black Corsair. Urueta's and Sollima's films are available on DVD. In 1999
Mondo
TV (Italy) created a 26-episode
animated TV series "The Black Corsair".
Trivia
In
the late 19th century Emilio Salgari was Italy's foremost writer of adventure
novels. He was knighted in 1897 in recognition for his work. The Black Corsair,
the Chevalier Emilio, is named after himself. He also pays tribute to the House
of Savoy, Italy's Royal family to show his
gratitude. Yolanda, the Black Corsair's daughter is named after Princess Yolanda of Savoy.
Salgari
used A History of The Buccaneers of America by Alexandre Exquemelin as one of his main references. Van Guld, the Governor of
Maracaibo, is based on the real life Governor of Mérida.
The attacks on Maracaibo and Gibraltar are based on true events as are the
biographies of the pirates that appear in the novel.
Il
Corsaro Nero sold 80,000 copies in its first printing, a record in Italy
at the time.
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