Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Adam Hochschild's King Leopold’s Ghost. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
King Leopold’s Ghost: Context
King Leopold’s Ghost: Plot Summary
King Leopold’s Ghost: Detailed Summary & Analysis
King Leopold’s Ghost: Themes
King Leopold’s Ghost: Quotes
King Leopold’s Ghost: Characters
King Leopold’s Ghost: Symbols
King Leopold’s Ghost: Theme Wheel
Brief Biography of Adam Hochschild

Other Books Related to King Leopold’s Ghost
- Full Title: King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
- When Written: 1996-1997
- Where Written: New York City, South Africa, the Congo
- When Published: Fall 1998
- Genre: Historical nonfiction
- Setting: The book is primarily set in the 19th century in the Congo, but it also takes place in parts of Europe (Belgium and England, namely) and describes some events from the twentieth century
- Antagonist: King Leopold II of Belgium, imperialism, and racism could all be considered the antagonists of the book
- Point of View: third person omniscient
Extra Credit for King Leopold’s Ghost
Awards, awards, awards. Hochschild is no stranger to awards: throughout his career, he’s either won or been nominated for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Lionel Gelber Prize, the California Book Award, and the Duff Cooper Prize.
Don’t be afraid of rejection. Though King Leopold’s Ghost became a surprise bestseller and won a slew of major awards, it almost didn’t get published! Hochschild submitted his manuscript to no less than ten different publishing houses, only one of which (Mariner Books) accepted his work.