The Kanak Apple Season: Selected Short Fiction of Dewe Gorode

by Déwé Gorodé, Peter Brown (Translator)

The first volume in a new series publishing Francophone writers of the Pacific in English, The Kanak Apple Season presents the short fiction of Dewe Gorode, the leading Kanak author of New Caledonia. This collection reflects the ethnic complexities of the colonial past of New Caledonia. The author's approach to language reveals an original voice that compels attention. Drawing on the heritage of blood-lines, family, cultural tradition and colonialism, Gorode takes her reader on a journey into the Kanak world providing insight into the culture of one of Australia's nearest - yet least known - neighbours.

Genres: Short Stories

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Déwé Gorodey, or Déwé Gorodé, (born 1 June 1949) is a New Caledonian teacher, writer, feminist and politician. She was active in agitating for independence from France in the 1970s. She has published poetry, short stories and novels. From 1999 she has been a member of the New Caledonia government, representing the pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front. From April 2001 to June 2009 she served almost continuously as Vice President of the Government of New Caledonia.

Reviews

[Suzesmum · Rating 2 out of 5]

53 🇳🇨NEW CALEDONIA 🇳🇨 Dewe Gorode is an indigenous Kanak author, politician, activist, teacher and feminist who was active in NC’s independence movement from France in the 1970s. This collection of short stories is a result of @ouranu’s Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies project to publish more Pacific Francophine authors in English. That in itself is a great project, and for all the reasons above I really wanted to read Gorode’s work. I naively thought that given the title, the stories would be folk tales, but no. The stories are mostly about mundane life and the very complicated blood-lines. Arranged marriages, village life, cannabis usage, an international conference delegation in Sydney were some of the topics. Not what I was hoping fore. The writing style is also painstakingly detailed and dull. I don’t know if this is the author’s true style or the responsibility of the translator/editor. A really difficult (not technically complex), unrewarding read. Sorry😞

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book for my Around-the-World reading challenge (New Caledonia), and did not enjoy it. The writing is odd: despite the vivid imagery and straightforward prose, I found it hard to maintain focus on the narrative. Points of view shift suddenly, and many of the characters were not engaging enough for me to care about them.