Varua Tupu: New Writing from French Polynesia (M?noa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing, 16)

Varua Tupu: New Writing and Art from French Polynesia strengthens 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 focussed 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.

Frank Stewart is a writer, translator, and founding editor of Mānoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing. He is professor emeritus of English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.