Sacred Hunger
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First edition cover |
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Author | Barry Unsworth |
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Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Historical novel |
Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
Released | 27 February 1992 |
Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
Pages | 640 pp (first edition, hardback) |
ISBN | ISBN 0-241-13003-4 (first edition, hardback) |
Preceded by | Sugar and Rum |
Followed by | Morality Play |
Sacred Hunger is a historical novel by Barry Unsworth first published in 1992. It was joint winner of the Booker Prize that year, sharing the position with Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient.
[edit] Plot introduction
The story is set in the mid 18th century and centers around the Liverpool Merchant, a slave ship employed in the triangular trade. The two major characters are cousins Erasmus Kemp, son of a wealthy merchant from Lancashire, and Matthew Paris, a surgeon who goes on the voyage. The novel's central theme is greed, with the subject of slavery being a primary medium for exploring the issue.
Preceded by The Famished Road |
Man Booker Prize recipient 1992 with The English Patient |
Succeeded by Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha |