Leaves of the Banyan Tree

by Albert Wendt

Overview

An epic spanning three generations, Leaves of the Banyan Tree tells the story of a family and community in Western Samoa, exploring on a grand scale such universal themes as greed, corruption, colonialism, exploitation, and revenge. Winner of the 1980 New Zealand Wattie Book of the Year Award, it is considered a classic work of Pacific literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824815844
Publisher:	University of Hawaii Press, The
Publication date:	03/01/1994
Series:	Talanoa: Contemporary Pacific Literature , #5
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	424
Sales rank:	1,078,633
Product dimensions:	6.11(w) x 9.01(h) x 1.07(d)

About the Author

ʻO le atamai o aliʻi, le Susuga Maualaʻivao Albert Wendt ʻo se tusitala lāuiloa i le Pasefika ma ʻo se polofesa ʻua lītaea mai le Iunivesitē o 'Aukilani, Niu Sila.


Maualaivao Albert Wendt is the Pacific’s most renowned writer. He is an emeritus professor at Auckland University.

Editorial Reviews

Set in Samoa, this novel involves three generations of an aiga (family) and reads like a parable. Toasa, the head of the family, tells stories of lions and ghosts and poignantly describes his peoples' connection to their land. He asserts that "his one inconsolable regret was the fact that Tauilopepe, the son of his friend, of the man he had loved so much, would be responsible for the final destruction of his world." The Samoans are envious of the papalagi (European whites) but strive to better their own circumstances, unlike the characters in Alan Duff's Once Were Warriors (LJ 6/15/94). Tauilopepe tames the bush to create a plantation and acquire considerable personal wealth. As he gains stature in his community, he loses the love and respect of his family. Following his success, Tauliopepe is described by his son as being like "all preachers in their wooden thrones who do not listen to their own message because their hearts are stone." For general readers with an interest in Pacific literature.-Kimberly G. Allen, MCI Corporate Information Resources Ctr., Washington, D.C.

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