Nuanua: Pacific Writing in English since 1980

by Albert Wendt (Editor)

This important anthology of contemporary Pacific writing in English is a successor to Lali, first published in 1980 and widely read and admired. Nuanua, like Lali, edited by distinguished Samoan writer Albert Wendt, shows the growing strength and confidence of Pacific writing in fiction and poetry since 1980. It includes work from new and well-established writers from nine Pacific Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Samoa. The legacy of colonialism and the problems of development and political change are among the themes explored.

Genres: Anthologies, Poetry, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 31, 1995

About the author

Albert Wendt was born in Apia, Samoa.
Wendt's epic Leaves of the Banyan Tree (1979) won the 1980 New Zealand Book Awards. He was appointed to the first chair in Pacific literature at the University of the South Pacific in Suva. In 1988 he took up a professorship of Pacific studies at the University of Auckland. In 1999 Wendt was visiting Professor of Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawaii. In 2001 he was made Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to literature. In the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours he was appointed a member of the Order of New Zealand.

Reviews

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction to this is worth a read in itself, with the effect of a powerful essay. Some extracts:

"Colonial literature assumed, whether consciously or unconsciously, that the coloniser's language was superior to ours and part of saving and civilising us was therefore to convert us to that language."

"According to these theories and views, we, the indigenous, have been hapless victims and losers in the process of cultural contact and interaction; our cultures have been 'diluted' and 'corrupted'; we have even 'lost' them. All cultures are becoming, changing in order to survive, absorbing foreign influences, continuing, growing. But that doesn't mean they become any less Samoan or any less Tongan."

Immediately was just focussing on areas where I have not yet read something else from there, and rough notes as follows (but will definitely return to this really valuable anthology, which is wonderful):

🇨🇰 - Boat Girl probably the most powerful.
Tom Davis, Vaka: Lovely to highlight the pastime of "malaga" (relatives and friends touring islands of Polynesia and being housed on their visit in "tere"), which is "as ancient as Polynesia itself". Interesting reference to the "half-moon phase of korekore akaoti".
🇰🇮 Two contrasting stories - one more traditional, one more modern. Abatakwn by Vianney Kianteata Teabo is the first, a commentary of how greed grows with eg urbanisation. But it suggests that there is beauty in simplicity, and joy - the simple family laugh a lot. The scenery sounds gorgeous: "The night was glorious, with the sounds of the trade winds, the waves, and the songs of the birds slurring the tired persons soundly to sleep on the isolated, lonely but resourceful land. Francis Tekonnang's Beia and Ioane is the second, and really made me realise there are lots of islands on Kiribati (and some of the consequences of that - story's general premise of lost love, but on the other hand, wonder if those children were especially independent to be able to leave and go and get jobs early on). Islands mentioned include Tarawa, Betio and Buota.
🇳🇺 Just the one story, from John Pule's The Shark that Ate the Sun - one of a lonely and honestly unremarkable existence but a remarkable conscience expressed through poetry.
🇸🇧 Julian Maka’a issue very complicated questions about morality in a short story (office boy intervenes in a beating by four rice workers but ends up feeling sad). Background theme is office boy has been cursed with bad luck by a local fisherman. A few of the stories make reference to “the white men”. (Julian Maka'a's story suggests the "white men" in films is where violence is learnt from. John Saunana's story refers to a character Madura who wants to show he is like "white men" - obvious cause of this is that he has been othered.
🇹🇴 Epeli Hau'ofa's story is fantastical and a refreshingly different black humour, clever as almost challenging one to second guess the social analysis in case some of it is just in be interests of making it ridiculous. Demonstrated in this very interesting analogy: "The point is that there are two full-scale rebellions in your body-world. There's civil war in your brain and a Lowertuk guerrilla campaign against foreign domination. Your pains will persist as long as these conflicts remain unresolved. You will have even more pain if the other Lowertuk tribal territories rise against Bongotuk."

[Suzesmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

63📱🏝THE PACIFIC 🏝
Published in 1996, 416 pages of fiction and poetry thoughtfully edited into this important collection. Featuring 64 writers from nine countries it is more than the perfect introduction to the region; it’s a comprehensive collection of the “who’s who” of Pacific literature. When I was researching authors to read, my spreadsheet contained many found here, and with this anthology I struck gold! I only wish I had found it sooner. Notable inclusions for me are:
Cook Islands 🇨🇰 Alistair Te Ariki Campbell “The Frigate Bird”
Johnny Frisbee Hebenstreit
Fiji 🇫🇯
Kiribati 🇰🇮
Niue 🇳🇺 John Pule “The Shark that Ate the Sun”
Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 Ignatius Kilage “My Mother Calls me Yaltep”
Vanuatu 🇻🇺 Grace Molisa “Custom”
Samoa 🇼🇸 Albert Wendt “I Will Be Our Savious From the Bad Smell”
Solomon Islands 🇸🇧
Tonga 🇹🇴 Epeki Hau’ofa “Kisses From The Netherends”

[John Eves · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is a nice book