Education as a way to freedom: the origins of Afro-American literature

In the review on I.M.Udler's book «Slavery and Freedom: formation and evolution of documentary-publicistic genre "slave narrative" in the 18-19th centuries» (Chelyabinsk, 2009) topicality of this Afro-American literary genre for the recent literary criticism is emphasized. The book's author enters into an argument with foreign scientists in the issues of national identity of "slave narrative" and its narrators. Formation and evolution of this genre are embedded in the context of cultural mentality of the Ages of Enlightenment and Romanticism. The problems of documentary and artistry, autobiography, attitude to religion, significance of African folk are considered.