Tales of the South Pacific - Softcover

Michener, James A

4.05

15,990 ratings by Goodreads

9784871878982: Tales of the South Pacific

Softcover

ISBN 10: 4871878988 ISBN 13: 9784871878982

Publisher: Ishi Press, 2011

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This collection of tales is set against the background of the South Pacific, the endless ocean, the coral specks called islands, the coconut palms, the reefs, the lagoons, the jungles, and the full moon rising against the volcanoes.The tales are told by a young naval officer whose duties on an admiral's staff take him up and down the islands. He meets many people, both service men and the original inhabitants, and hears their stories - the remittance man who lived among the Japanese and, radioed their movements until one fatal and dramatic morning; Bloody Mary, the Tonkinese woman who introduced her daughter to a young Marine lieutenant; Emile de Becque, the French planter who fell in love with an American nurse; Tony Fry, the individualist who fought a very personal war in his own very effective way; Lieutenant Bill Harbison, who lived like a hero but turned out to be a louse; and the young enlisted man from Ohio who was going to pieces on one of the islands until a Sea Bee gave him a reason for living.Because Mr. Michener was there, he is able to reproduce exactly the mood and atmosphere of the early critical days of the Pacific War. Because, in addition, he has a lively imagination and inventive power, he has turned this raw material into stories that will be eagerly read for their dramatization of the greatest adventure of our generation.

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Review:

Praise for James A. Michener and "Tales of the South Pacific"
""
Truly one of the most remarkable books to come out of [World War II] . . . Michener is a born storyteller. "The New York Times"
Riveting and emotional . . . Ever since James Michener wrote "Tales of the South Pacific, "the dreamers among us have been searching for our own Bali Ha i. "The Washington Post"
""
Atmospheric . . . ["Tales of the South Pacific" marks] the beginning of Michener s long exploration of what happens when cultures connect, or fail to. "Los Angeles Times"
Few writers changed the face of American fiction as profoundly as did James Michener. "San Francisco Chronicle""

Praise for James A. Michener and Tales of the South Pacific

"Truly one of the most remarkable books to come out of [World War II] . . . Michener is a born storyteller."--The New York Times

"Riveting and emotional . . . Ever since James Michener wrote Tales of the South Pacific, the dreamers among us have been searching for our own Bali Ha'i."--The Washington Post

"Atmospheric . . . [Tales of the South Pacific marks] the beginning of Michener's long exploration of what happens when cultures connect, or fail to."--Los Angeles Times

"Few writers changed the face of American fiction as profoundly as did James Michener."--San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author:

JAMES A. MICHENER served in the Pacific during the war as a trouble shooter in aviation maintenance, and 1ater as Senior Historical Officer for the area from New Guinea to Tahiti. It is a strange fact that he had written most or the manuscript of his book before he was appointed to the job which almost exactly parallels the one held by the narrator of the book. Mr. Michener was born in New York in 1907, and received his A.B. degree from Swarthmore College and his M. A. from Colorado State College. He was awarded scholarships to study in Europe, and lived for two and a half years in Scotland. Ireland, England, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France and Holland. For a time he held papers as an able-bodied seaman in the British merchant navy and sailed in the Mediterranean, touching the North Coast of Africa, Sicily, and the Balearic Isles. He has also traveled in the Baltic, Russia, and Mexico. He has lived in sixteen of the forty-eight states and has traveled extensively in all forty-eight. When queried about his previous publications, Mr. Michener replied cryptically, “Professional educational books, with lots of footnotes."

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