304 pp. March 2009
paper
, ISBN 978-0-8248-3067-0, $17.95
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Keywords: |
Pacific
Hawaii
literature |
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Westlake: Poems by Wayne Kaumualii Westlake (1947-1984)
by Wayne Kaumualii Westlake
ed. by Mei-Li M. Siy; Richard Hamasaki
Talanoa: Contemporary Pacific Literature
“The poems run the whole gamut of emotions . . . and do so with immaculate and measured control of language and imagery . . . [T]his one collection, in my reckoning, establishes Westlake as one of Hawai‘i and the Pacific’s major poets.” —Albert Wendt
“Finally, Westlake in his defiant originality: metaphorical, magnetic, and magical.” —Haunani-Kay Trask
“Westlake is necessary reading for anyone interested in the distinctive contribution of a major Kanaka Maoli poet to world literature. Westlake is that purest of poets, one for whom ‘everything is poetry.’” —Paul Lyons
“Westlake’s work is an intricate, thoughtful, and multilayered tapestry of images and emotions that resonate for readers today.” —Kuualoha Hoomanawanui
In an all-too-brief life and literary career, Wayne Kaumualii Westlake (1947–1984) produced a substantial body of poetry. He broke new ground as a poet, translated Taoist classical literature and Japanese haiku, interwove perspectives from his Hawaiian heritage into his writing and art, and published his work locally, regionally, and internationally.
Westlake was born on Maui and raised on the island of O‘ahu, where he attended Punahou School, and later the University of Oregon. He earned his B.A. in Chinese studies at the University of Hawai‘i. At the time of his tragic death in 1984, Westlake was at the height of his poetic career. Unfortunately, the only collection of his poems available at the time was a 32-page, limited edition chapbook independently published by a small press. The present volume, long overdue, includes nearly two hundred of Westlake’s poems—most unavailable to the public or never before published.
33 illus.
Read the introduction (PDF).
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