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Hanai: A Poem for Queen Liliuokalani
John Dominis Holt has long been and continues to be a leading figure among Hawaii's writers.
He has published short stories, a novel, a play, and numerous essays. His most recent book, The Art of Featherwork in Old Hawai'i, is a beautiful reference work of cultural and historical significance.
Now with the publication of Hanai: A Poem for Queen Liliuokalani, Holt offers his first book of poetry. Inspired by Queen Liliuokalani, it is a powerful and perceptive volume, set forth with deep and person understanding.
The message of Hanai is uplifting. Presented with strength and dignity, it is a cal for Hawaiians to rise together as a people. In memory of Queen Liliuokalani, John Dominis Holt has written a lasting legacy.
He has published short stories, a novel, a play, and numerous essays. His most recent book, The Art of Featherwork in Old Hawai'i, is a beautiful reference work of cultural and historical significance.
Now with the publication of Hanai: A Poem for Queen Liliuokalani, Holt offers his first book of poetry. Inspired by Queen Liliuokalani, it is a powerful and perceptive volume, set forth with deep and person understanding.
The message of Hanai is uplifting. Presented with strength and dignity, it is a cal for Hawaiians to rise together as a people. In memory of Queen Liliuokalani, John Dominis Holt has written a lasting legacy.
70 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1986
6 people want to read
About the author
John Dominis Holt
15 books2 followersJohn Dominis Holt IV (June 4, 1919 – March 29, 1993) was an American and Native Hawaiian writer, poet and cultural historian. In 1979, he was recognized as a Living Treasures of Hawaiʻi for his contribution to the Hawaiian Renaissance.
Descended from Hawaiian royalty and European ancestors, Holt navigated the competing claims of pedigree and genealogy in postcolonial Hawaii, once declaring,
His monograph On Being Hawaiian (1964) contributed to an understanding of Hapa-Haole (white and Hawaiian ancestry) identity and the potential of the multiethnic Hawaiian community.
Holt’s creative works include the play Kaulana Na Pua—Famous Are the Flowers: Queen Liliuokalani and the Throne of Hawaii (1971), the novel Waimea Summer (1976), and the short story collections Today Ees Sad-dy Night and Other Stories (1965) and Princess of the Night Rides and Other Tales (1977). He also wrote about the history of Hawaii in works such as Monarchy in Hawaii (1971), The Art of Featherwork in Old Hawai’i (1985), and his own life story, Recollections: Memoirs of John Dominis Holt, 1919-1935 (1993).
Holt was publisher of Topgallant Publishing Company, a trustee of the Bishop Museum, and an avid supporter of Hawaiian writers, artists, and culture. He died in 1993.
Descended from Hawaiian royalty and European ancestors, Holt navigated the competing claims of pedigree and genealogy in postcolonial Hawaii, once declaring,
“I am, in depth, a product of Hawaii—an American, yes, who is a citizen of the fiftieth State, but I am also a Hawaiian; somewhat by blood, and in large measure by sentiment. Of this, I am proud.”
His monograph On Being Hawaiian (1964) contributed to an understanding of Hapa-Haole (white and Hawaiian ancestry) identity and the potential of the multiethnic Hawaiian community.
Holt’s creative works include the play Kaulana Na Pua—Famous Are the Flowers: Queen Liliuokalani and the Throne of Hawaii (1971), the novel Waimea Summer (1976), and the short story collections Today Ees Sad-dy Night and Other Stories (1965) and Princess of the Night Rides and Other Tales (1977). He also wrote about the history of Hawaii in works such as Monarchy in Hawaii (1971), The Art of Featherwork in Old Hawai’i (1985), and his own life story, Recollections: Memoirs of John Dominis Holt, 1919-1935 (1993).
Holt was publisher of Topgallant Publishing Company, a trustee of the Bishop Museum, and an avid supporter of Hawaiian writers, artists, and culture. He died in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 30, 2017
The most beautiful poetry often is born of tragedy, and the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy—and with it the Hawaiian people's culture, history, language, and agency—is one of the great tragedies of recent centuries. Holt's poetry is a sorrowful love letter to a queen betrayed, an icon adopted by the ages to represent what has been lost in Hawaii.
June 20, 2025
The public libraries have such wonderful resources on the Pacific. I learned a lot about the history of Hawaiʻi, and I was introduced to John Dominis Holt's work. I'd like to explore more of what he's written.
Without the context of Hawaiian history, the poetry goes over the reader's head. In this way, these poems are based off of a deep understanding and a Hawaiian perspective unique to Holt's mixed-race experience. Once you have an understanding of Hawaiʻi's history, though, the poetry is emotional and insightful.
Without the context of Hawaiian history, the poetry goes over the reader's head. In this way, these poems are based off of a deep understanding and a Hawaiian perspective unique to Holt's mixed-race experience. Once you have an understanding of Hawaiʻi's history, though, the poetry is emotional and insightful.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews