192 pp. May 1995
paper, ISBN 978-0-8248-1685-8, $16.00
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Keywords: |
literature
Pacific
Polynesia
textbook |
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Kisses in the Nederends
by Epeli Hauofa
Talanoa: Contemporary Pacific Literature
In the best Rabelaisian tradition, this brilliant satire weaves a tale of improbabilities around the seat of the last great taboo. Oilei Bomboki wakes one morning with an excruciating pain that sends him anxiously searching for a cure. Unsuccessful treatments at the hands of various healers and doctors, culminating in a bizarre operation, lead the desperate Oilei to seek the help of Babu Vivekanand--sage, yogi, and conman. Through Babu's teachings, Oilei learns to love and respect the source of his own complaint. By turns savage and absurdly comic, this brilliant satire allows Hau'ofa to comment on aspects of life in a small Pacific community perched precariously between traditional and modern ways.
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