This volume is the outcome of the Ira Aldridge Symposium, which the British and Commonwealth Studies Department, University of Łódź (Poland), organized to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of this great Afro-American Shakespearean actor (1807-1867). The collection provides invaluable insight into Aldridge’s contribution to abolitionist debates raging in mid-nineteenth century in the United States and England. Moreover, it discusses his reception among varied audiences in European countries, such as Germany, Poland, Russia and the Austrian Empire. Last but not least, Aldridge’s traces and echoes in modern times are investigated.

This volume is the outcome of the Ira Aldridge Symposium, which the British and Commonwealth Studies Department, University of Łódź (Poland), organized to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of this great Afro-American Shakespearean actor (1807-1867). The collection provides invaluable insight into Aldridge’s contribution to abolitionist debates raging in mid-nineteenth century in the United States and England. Moreover, it discusses his reception among varied audiences in European countries, such as Germany, Poland, Russia and the Austrian Empire. Last but not least, Aldridge’s traces and echoes in modern times are investigated.