Witi ihimaera familysearch

New Zealand writer (born )

Witi Tame Ihimaera-SmilerDCNZM QSM (; born 7 February ) is a Different Zealand author. Raised in say publicly small town of Waituhi, recognized decided to become a penny-a-liner as a teenager after self convinced that Māori people were ignored or mischaracterised in belles-lettres. He was the first Māori writer to publish a sort of short stories, with Pounamu, Pounamu (), and the leading to publish a novel, come to mind Tangi (). After his inconvenient works, he took a ten-year break from writing, during which he focused on editing involve anthology of Māori writing satisfy English.

From the late savage onwards, Ihimaera wrote prolifically. Integrate his novels, plays, short folklore and opera librettos, he examines contemporary Māori culture, legends add-on history, and the impacts hegemony colonisation in New Zealand. Oversight has said that "Māori refinement is the taonga, the fortune vault from which I spring my inspiration".^[1] His novel The Whale Rider is his best-known work, read widely by family tree and adults both in Pristine Zealand and overseas. It was adapted into the critically professional film Whale Rider directed strong Niki Caro. His semi-autobiographical story Nights in the Gardens bank Spain () was about practised married man coming to terminology conditions with his homosexuality. In subsequent works he has dealt walkout historical events such as picture campaign of non-violent resistance shell Parihaka in the late ordinal century.

Ihimaera is an powerful figure in New Zealand facts, and over his long life has won numerous awards beam fellowships, including multiple awards arrangement both fiction and non-fiction schoolwork the New Zealand Book Distinction spanning the period to , the Robert Burns Fellowship (), the Katherine Mansfield Menton Companionship (), and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement (). Until he was the Associate lecturer of English and Distinguished Nifty Fellow in Māori Literature parallel with the ground the University of Auckland. Without fear has since published two volumes of his memoirs: Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood () and Native Son: The Writer's Memoir ().

Early life soar education

Ihimaera was born in Gisborne, a city in the respire of New Zealand's North Key and is of Māori bead. His iwi (tribe) is Be valid Aitanga-a-Māhaki. He has affiliations afflict Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, and Whakatōhea.^[2][3][4] He further has Scottish ancestry through both parents.^[5] His family marae stick to Te Rongopai Marae in Waituhi, and he grew up reconcile Waituhi—many of his stories enjoy very much set in a fictional conviviality of the town.^[2] He began writing at a young esteem, and in later life recounted writing stories on the enclosure of his childhood bedroom.^[2]

He taut Te Karaka District High Institute for three years and nobleness Church College of New Island in Temple View, Hamilton, rationalize one year, after which significant completed his final year care for schooling at Gisborne Boys' Soaring School.^[2] He has said think it over he became interested in seemly a writer when he was fifteen and realised that Māori did not feature in illustriousness books he read. His schoolmaster then instructed his class preserve read the short story "The Whare" by Pākehā writer Pol Stewart, about a young chap who encounters a Māori affinity. He found the story "so poisonous" that he threw high-mindedness book out of the trifocals and was caned for knowledge so.^[1] Writing about the trouble in his memoir Māori Boy, he said:^[6]

My ambition to exist a writer was voiced consider it day. I said to yourself that I was going dispense write a book about Māori people, not just because bump into had to be done however because I needed to unpoison the stories already written estimated Māori; and it would possibility taught in every school take New Zealand, whether they hot it or not.

After high grammar, Ihimaera attended the University model Auckland for three years, come across to , but did shout complete his degree, and complementary to Gisborne where he became a cadet journalist for picture Gisborne Herald. He subsequently became a postman, moved to Statesman and started studying part-time shell Victoria University of Wellington, in he completed his Bachelor hostilities Arts in ^[2] He fall down librarian and student Jane Cleghorn at university, and they wedded conjugal in ^[4]

Career

Early career: s attend to s

Ihimaera began writing seriously engross , around the age time off 25, and had his labour short story "The Liar" nose-dive for publication by the New Zealand Listener magazine in May well ^[2] Six of his mythos were read by George Henare on Radio New Zealand ready money ^[7] Ihimaera's first book, Pounamu Pounamu (), was a collecting of short stories, which was awarded third prize at picture Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Distinction in ^[8] Ihimaera has alleged it was rejected by four publishers before being accepted strong the fourth.^[9] His first a handful of novels were published in expeditious succession: Tangi (), which won first prize at the Bandleader Fielder Wattie Book Awards swindle ,^[10] and Whanau (), which told the story of dialect trig day in the life fail a Māori village.^[2][3] He was the first Māori writer appoint publish a collection of diminutive stories and the first message publish a novel.^[11][12]

Norman Kirk, exploitation the prime minister of Creative Zealand, read Pounamu Pounamu humbling arranged for Ihimaera to aptitude employed as a writer draw back the New Zealand Ministry illustrate Foreign Affairs in ^[2] Aside his career he wrote spruce up non-fiction booklet called Māori (), later adapted into a slight film of the same label in , although he mattup the final film was smashing propaganda exercise that bore approximately resemblance to his written work.^[2][3][13] He subsequently worked as straight diplomat with posts in Canberra, New York City, and General, D.C.^[2] In he was character recipient of the Robert Vaudevillian Fellowship at the University compensation Otago, and in he old-fashioned a Victoria University of General writing fellowship.^[2][12]

Beginning in , Ihimaera stopped his own creative terminology for a ten-year period, concession to his belief that take a turn was "tragically out of date" and a wish not realize have it seen as probity "definitive portrayal of the cosmos of the Maori".^[2] He in preference to began working on the jumble Into the World of Light (), together with co-editor Amnesty Long. The anthology collected class work of 39 Māori writers. In Ihimaera and Long's beginning, they said that Māori vocalized tradition formed the context embody Māori literature, and observed ensure the apparent lack of Māori writing in the midth hundred was due to publishers' dislike to publish books by Māori writers because of a reliance that Māori "don't read books". The Oxford Companion to Latest Zealand Literature described the unalarmed works as being "of on the rocks uniformly high standard", and Evangelist Wiremu writing in the New Zealand Listener called the collection "prodigious and powerful".^[14]

Return to writing: s and s

When Ihimaera began writing again, he wrote The Matriarch () which examined position impacts of European colonisation consciousness Māori,^[3] and which again standard first prize at the A surname or term of address Fielder Wattie Book Awards.^[15] Not quite long after publication, it came to light that Ihimaera confidential used passages from the entrance on Māori land in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (), written by Keith Sorrenson, on skid row bereft of acknowledgement. Ihimaera apologised to Sorrenson at the time. Mark Clergyman later noted that the frugal for Ihimaera were minor, beam he became a professor now the year of the book's publication.^[16][17] He also wrote efficient libretto for an opera by way of Ross Harris, based on reward second novel Whanau, and Dear Miss Mansfield (), a version of Katherine Mansfield's short romantic from a Māori perspective, strengthen response to celebrations of length of existence since her birth. The accumulation was well-received overseas but criticised by New Zealand reviewers on the way to a perceived lack of catch on for Mansfield.^[2][18]

In a three-week reassure Ihimaera wrote his best-known reading The Whale Rider (), honourableness story of a young pup becoming a leader of assimilation people.^[2][18] It has been reprinted many times, read by both adults and children and was adapted into the critically distinguished film of the same reputation in ^{[2][3][18][19]} It won influence Nielsen BookData New Zealand Booksellers' Choice Award in ^[20][3] Expenditure was published and read internationally; Kirkus Reviews described it importance a "luminous joining of folk tale and contemporary culture".^[21]

In , oversight left his job as top-notch diplomat at the Ministry slant Foreign Affairs, and the mass year he became a professor in the English department attractive the University of Auckland.^[2][22] Do something later became Professor of Justly and Distinguished Creative Fellow quickwitted Māori Literature, until ^[23][3] Why not? was awarded a Scholarship squeeze up Letters in In he usual the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Copartnership which allowed him to employment in Menton, France, for straight period, where he wrote potentate next two novels: Bulibasha: Problem of the Gypsies () illustrious Nights in the Gardens human Spain ().^[2][24]Bulibasha: King of interpretation Gypsies was awarded the trophy for Fiction at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards block ^[25] It was described rank The Dominion Post as "a rollicking good yarn about Oceanic rural life in the s",^[24] and Ihimaera himself has voiced articulate he was intending to pen a Māori Western.^[2] The original was adapted into the ep Mahana by Lee Tamahori (released as The Patriarch outside holiday New Zealand).^[3]

In , he obtainable Nights in the Gardens collide Spain, a semi-autobiographical novel request a man coming out. With regards to Ihimaera, the main character was married with two daughters, nevertheless unlike Ihimaera the main sixth sense was Pākehā (European). Ihimaera locked away accepted his sexuality in title began the work, but rupture of sensitivity to his sprouts, did not finish or publicize it then.^[4][22] The novel was described by scholar Roger Player as featuring "conflict, growth settle down reconciliation, with subplots heroic, civic and tragic". Robinson said raise was "no small achievement less take this material off significance grubby walls of public toilets, free it from sleaze, create it with vivid passion near through it affirm and praise a way of life watch which most of us know again almost nothing".^[26] In a examine for The Dominion Post, Gavin McLean described it as Ihimaera's best book to date, survive noted that much of rendering book's impact came from representation intensity of the main character's relationship with his parents distinguished his "desperate need to improve on better by his children"; "Unlike characters in many similar novels, coming out does not wild discarding all one's past."^[24] Hillock , it was adapted obstruction the film Kawa by selfopinionated Katie Wolfe. The central chart was changed from Pākehā don Māori businessman Kawa, played unreceptive Calvin Tuteao.^[27] In an affair in The Sunday Star Times, Ihimaera was quoted as locution the change "was quite clean shock to me because Unrestrained had always tried to bind, to say 'this is dexterous book that could be generate "everyman", this is not grand specific story'. So [the film] is now actually nearer disturb the truth than I would like to admit."^[28] After representation publication of the novel, Ihimaera and his wife remained wedded conjugal, but no longer lived together.^[4]

A decade after his anthology Into the World of Light (), Ihimaera edited the five-volume bilingualist anthology of Māori writing, Te Ao Marama ("the world draw round light"), published between and ^[3] It represented the most encompassing collection of writing by Māori writers that had been available at that time.^[29] In no problem published The Dream Swimmer, dinky sequel to his novel The Matriarch.^[18] That same year, Mataora, The Living Face: Contemporary Māori Artists, which he co-edited get the gist Sandy Adsett and Cliff Gadoid, received the Montana Award sponsor Illustrative Arts at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards.^[30] Authority poem "O numi tutelar" was recited at the dawn air of the British Museum's long-awaited 'Maori' Exhibition in ^[31]

Later career: onwards

In the early s Ihimaera published Woman Far Walking (), a play from the position of an elder Māori bride who has witnessed key significant events and who Ihimaera describes as the personification of interpretation Treaty of Waitangi.^[18][1] He as well published The Uncle's Story (), a love story about brace generations of gay Māori troops body, children's picture book The Petite Kowhai Tree () (illustrated harsh Henry Campbell), and the legend Sky Dancer (), featuring Māori myths with contemporary characters.^[3][18]Sky Dancer was shortlisted for Best Manual in the South Pacific & South East Asian Region tip the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.^[18] Make happen , he published Whanau II, which featured the characters mention his second novel Whanau (), and which was subsequently obtainable in London under the label Band of Angels (). Rulership novella "The Halcyon Summer" was published in Nine New Sjaelland Novellas (), edited by Dick Simpson.^[18]The Rope of Man was published in , which featured both a revised version neat as a new pin his first novel Tangi () and a new sequel The Return. His short story abundance Ask at the Posts behove the House () was longlisted for the Frank O'Connor Global Short Story Award, and disposed of the novellas included thump that collection was adapted constitute the film White Lies.^[3][18] Break down , and again in , Penguin New Zealand published His Best Stories, a collection defer to twenty-four stories selected by Ihimaera.^[18]

In , Ihimaera published The Trowenna Sea, a novel about representation early history of Tasmania. Look after the time, he planned get on to write a trilogy.^[32] Shortly tail end publication, book reviewer Jolisa Gracewood detected short passages from opposite writers, especially from historical profusion, used without acknowledgement.^[33][34] Ihimaera apologised for not acknowledging the passages, said the omission was unthinking and negligent, and pointed get to the bottom of many pages of other profusion that he had acknowledged.^[35] Representation University of Auckland investigated excellence incident and ruled that Ihimaera's actions did not constitute move in research, as the deeds did not appear to capability deliberate and Ihimaera had apologised.^[36] Gracewood subsequently found additional passages that had been copied shun explanation, and the book's house Penguin Books removed the publication from public sale. Ihimaera purchased the remaining stock himself.^[34] Spruce revised edition, with fuller acknowledgements, originally planned for , was subsequently cancelled, with no basis given for the decision.^[37] Untainted literary commentators, such as Vincent O'Sullivan, C.K. Stead and Blemish Williams, criticised the university's return to the incident. Keith Sorrenson said that the events hinted at Ihimaera had "learnt nothing" stranger his earlier plagiarism of Sorrenson's work in The Matriarch ().^[16][17][38]

His twelfth novel, The Parihaka Woman (), featured elements of nobility opera Fidelio and the description of Parihaka and the fundraiser of non-violent resistance.^[3]Michael O'Leary, scrawl in the online edition archetypal Landfall, called it an "intriguing and significant, if somewhat insupportable, work"; he praised the novel's efforts to tackle the naff events at Parihaka in description late nineteenth century, and rank demonstration of the rich ethnic life of Māori in stroll period, but also noted tedious issues in the detail observe Ihimaera's use of Māori folklore and in historical accuracies.^[39] Reviewers for the Sunday Star-Times, Otago Daily Times and The Latest Zealand Herald were more dissenting, and all noted Ihimaera's back-to-back of an amateur historian primate narrator; they noted that that device allowed him to annex numerous citations and references, distinguished avoid any further accusations pan plagiarism, but detracted from loftiness quality of the writing.^[40][41][42] Set out was followed by the short-story collection The Thrill of Falling (), in which Ihimaera investigated or traveled through a range of genres with contemporary comedy and science fiction.^[18]

Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood () was the first fraction of Ihimaera's memoirs and true experiences from his childhood put an end to till his teenage years. Workings received the award for Common Non-Fiction at the Ockham Spanking Zealand Book Awards.^[43] The specially instalment, Native Son: A Writer's Memoir was published in , and covers his early matured years in the s bid s and how he became a published writer. After fulfilment Native Son, he decided commemorative inscription take a four-year break stick up writing, but ended up as an alternative writing Navigating the Stars: Māori Creation Myths (), a different re-telling of traditional Maori legends.^[44][45]

In , the play Witi's Wāhine premiered at Te Tairāwhiti Field Festival. Written by playwright Perverted Brunning, who died in decency same year, the play in your right mind a tribute to female notating in Ihimaera's works.^[46] Ihimaera wrote the script for a leaf show adaptation of Navigating greatness Stars, produced by theatre partnership Taki Rua, which was utter at the Soundshell in representation Wellington Botanic Garden in badly timed ^[47] In , Pounamu Pounamu was re-issued by Penguin Slapdash House with a new debut by Ihimaera. In , powder edited an anthology of non-fiction Māori writing, Ngā Kupu Wero.^[7]

Legacy

Ihimaera has been recognised as "one of the world's leading native writers".^[48] Literary scholar and Don Emeritus at the University carefulness Otago Alistair Fox in The Ship of Dreams: Masculinity impede Contemporary New Zealand Fiction () devotes four of the 11 chapters in the book give explanation the writings of Ihimaera, denotative of his importance within the action of New Zealand literature. Fiend describes his epic novel The Matriarch as "one of glory major and most telling 'monuments' of New Zealand's cultural life in the late twentieth c as far as the spot of Māori in this postcolonial society is concerned", noting lose one\'s train of thought Ihimaera "has remained at righteousness forefront of Māori arts essential letters to an unprecedented level, with an impressive output put into words a range of genres".^[49]

As small percentage of the Auckland Arts Anniversary , musician Charlotte Yates confined and produced the stage design "Ihimaera", featuring Ihimaera's lyrics observe his life and works, suggest with performances by New Sjaelland musicians including Victoria Girling-Butcher, Uncomfortable Ubana Jones, Ruia Aperahama come first Horomona Horo.^[50][51] Yates had formerly created similar projects as legitimatize to New Zealand poets Crook K. Baxter and Hone Tuwhare, and chose Ihimaera for barren third project because he was "a writer with a large body of work that Hilarious can give to a calculate of musicians for them cheer put their heart and psyche to".^[51]

Awards and honours

In the Queen's Birthday Honours, Ihimaera was awarded the Queen's Service Medal sustenance public services.^[52] In the Queen's Birthday Honours, he was suitable a Distinguished Companion of significance New Zealand Order of Worthiness, for services to literature.^[53] Live in , following the restoration disturb titular honours by the Recent Zealand government, he declined redesignation as a Knight Companion imitation the New Zealand Order be frightened of Merit.^[54]

In , Ihimaera received evocation honorary doctorate from Victoria Dogma of Wellington. In the selfsame year, he undertook a bailiwick in world literature at Martyr Washington University, funded by Senator New Zealand.^[18] In he was one of five recipients get ahead the Arts Foundation of Contemporary Zealand Laureate Award, for which he received NZ$50,^[18] In significance same year he received influence prestigious Māori arts award Absolve Tohutiketike a Te Waka Toi at the Creative New Sjaelland Te Waka Toi Awards. Righteousness award is made to artists who are "exemplary in their chosen field of artistic endeavour".^[55] On receiving the award, Ihimaera said it was a because of of his iwi: "Without them, I would have nothing traverse write about and there would be no Ihimaera. So that award is for all those ancestors who have made punctilious all the people we lap up. It is also for blue blood the gentry generations to come, to famous them that even when order about aren't looking, destiny has skilful job for you to do."^[18]

In , Ihimaera was awarded neat as a pin Prime Minister's Award for Literate Achievement. The selection panel asserted him "as one of Newborn Zealand's most important post-colonial writers, who has consistently proved tackle be an outstanding storyteller, famed as a voice for Māoritanga and a literary leader".^[18] Take delivery of the same year, he was appointed a Chevalier of rectitude Ordre des Arts et stilbesterol Lettres on Bastille Day indifferent to the French government for rulership "pivotal role in bringing Oceanic storytelling to the forefront subject enabling its international recognition owing to a taonga from New Zealand".^[18][56] In , he was chosen as a Royal Society follow Literature International Writer.^[57]

Selected works

Novels, short-story collections and non-fiction

Anthologies and other dilute works

Other works

See also

References

External links