Varua Tupu strenghthens the ancient ties between Hawai'i and the islands of French Polynesia by translating the voices of an emerging Ma'ohi (Polynesian) literary community into English and showcasing the cultural arts of the region in general. This volume features translations of a variety of locally celebrated genres, including poetry, memoir, and fiction. Though this work is focuses on the current moment, it includes fresh translations of poet Henri Hiro, who served as a spark to the tinder of the Tahitian cultural renaissance in the 1960s and 1970s and who continues to inspire the current generation of literary activists. since the eighteenth century, a mythic and misleading image of Tahiti has become familiar to the world at large. Varua Tupu represents the first opportunity for the international community to experience the many islands of Te Ao Ma'ohi through their own voices and visual arts.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Frank Stewart is the general editor of Manoa. Kareva Mateata-Allain is ABD in Languages and Literature at the University of New Mexico. Alexander Dale Mawyer is a doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Chicago.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A glimpse at the new literature and art of French Polynesia emerging after decades of cultural suppression,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Varua Tupu: New Writing from French Polynesia (Manoa) (Paperback)
`Polynesians must write...they must write and express themselves. It doesn't matter what language they use...' These were the words of Henry Hiro, one of the inspirational figures behind the early resurgence of Ma'ohi culture in French Polynesia during the 1960s and 1970s. Sadly, he was to die in his forties, as was Bobby Holcomb, the Hawaiian artist-singer, many of whose wonderfully spontaneous tableaux depicting the people and the islands that he adopted and loved are reproduced in this anthology of new writing from French Polynesia. The objective of this book is to give air to the literature and art of the territory isolated linguistically (literally rather than orally) from all other major Polynesian island groups by virtue of its French colonial heritage.
Discouragement of Tahitian (the Polynesian lingua franca of French Polynesian) by the authorities was intense up until the 1970s, often resulting in punishment for its use by children in schools. This meant that a large part of the population became economically, politically and culturally disenfranchised. It was a long period of silence. That was why Henry Hiro stressed the need to write. However, there was a body of unfavourable criticism of indigenous writing. This was largely because indigenous writers had the temerity to cast doubt on the myth that everything European was progressive and everything Polynesian was backward. And needless to say they were especially critical of the bloody-minded continuation of nuclear testing on two atolls up until 1996. Even during the making of this compilation the University of French Polynesia effectively denied the existence of an indigenous literature as late as 2002. This volume is an attempt to correct that misconception. It includes contrasting excerpts from Celestine Hitiura Vaite's rather feel-good Matarena Mahi trilogy (written in English), and Titaua Peu's `Mutismes', a more disturbing take on Tahitian life, with its unflinching portrayal of domestic violence. Other highlights include an interview with Henry Hiro followed by three of his poems, an excerpt from Taaria Walker's autobiography in which she relates her experience of coming from the outer island of Rurutu to Papeete as a schoolgirl in the 1930s, Louise Peltzer's fictionalised version of the arrival of the London Missionary Society on Tahiti, and Michel Chansin's evocative collection of black and white photos from the troubled district of Fa'a'a, centre of immigration from the outer islands and of the movement for independence. However, the point of entry for anyone genuinely interested in literature from a Ma'ohi point of view (in French Polynesia) should be Chantal Spitz's angry but heartfelt `Îles des rêves écrasés', now available in English as `Island of Shattered Dreams', a work not included in this anthology and which I consider a serious omission. This is a beautifully presented and illustrated book and, though rather brief in actual text, should achieve its aim of introducing English speakers to the new literature and art of French Polynesia, emerging after decades of cultural suppression.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
