The Queen of the Caribbean

The Queen of the Caribbean

Cover First English Translation
Author Emilio Salgari
Original title La regina dei caraibi
Translator Nico Lorenzutti
Country Italy
Language English, Original: Italian
Series The Black Corsair
Genre Adventure fiction
Young adult literature
Publisher ROH Press (first English translation)
Donath (first Italian publisher)
Publication date
 English 2015, Italian 1901
Media type Paperback, Ebook
Pages 280
Preceded by The Black Corsair
Followed by Yolanda, the Black Corsair's Daughter

The Queen of the Caribbean is a 1901 adventure novel written by Italian novelist Emilio Salgari. Set in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, the novel follows the exploits of Emilio Roccanera, Lord of Ventimiglia as he continues his attempts to avenge his brothers, slain by the Duke Van Guld, as narrated in the first book of the series, The Black Corsair. This novel focuses on the struggles between the Black Corsair's quest for vengeance and his guilt for having abandoned Honorata, his love interest and daughter of his enemy.

Plot summary

Four years have passed since the battle of Gibraltar. The Black Corsair has tracked Duke Van Guld down to Veracruz at last, and has formed an alliance with Nicholas van Hoorn, Michel de Grammont and Laurens de Graaf, three of the most formidable pirates in the Gulf, to finally bring his foe to justice. After Van Guld explodes his ship as a final resource, the Black Corsair and some of his men manage to escape and are lost in the jungles, at which point they're captured by the native Caribs. Fortunately for them, Honorata had shipwrecked on the coast before and was believed by the natives to be a sea deity and then followed as their queen. After they're freed by her, the Corsair decides to stop his piracy and return with Honorata to Italy.

The Series

The quest for vengeance stretches over the course of several novels: The Black Corsair (Il corsaro nero),The Queen of the Caribbean (La regina dei Caraibi), Yolanda, The Black Corsair's Daughter (Jolanda, la figlia del Corsaro Nero), and The Son of the Red Corsair (Il figlio del corsaro rosso).

Film versions

There have been several film versions of the novels. 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 Andre 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 Geschichte der Filibustier. The History of the Pirates, Free-Booters, or Buccaneers of America. by Johann Wilhelm von Archenholz as one of his main references. The attack on Vera Cruz is based on true events as are the biographies of the pirates that appear in the novel.

See also

Novels in the Sandokan Series:

Novels in The Black Corsair series

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