In Stock
Captain Cook in the Underworld
Paperback
€14.99
Collect 44 Reward Points
- Free Delivery from
- This Book Is Available Online Only
- Book Synopsis
- Captain Cook in the Underworld is a book-length poem by a gifted Maori poet, an archetypal exploration of Western mythology and legend as it 'discovers' itself in the South Pacific. The poem was commissioned as the libretto for a new work with composer John Psathas for the fiftieth anniversary celebration of Wellington's Orpheus Choir. Captain Cook in the Underworld offers fresh perspectives on the familiar story of Cook's Pacific explorations; it has a broad bi-cultural (European/Polynesian) frame of references; and Sullivan employs a bold risk-taking approach. The book is a highly stylised, 'operatic' account of the voyages, with similarities to the musical structure of Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner', and opera. As the poem unfolds, European myth (Orpheus, Venus, etc) has to make space for Polynesian myth (Maui, Reinga, etc). In the final pages, Cook is required after his death to face up to the damage his expeditions have inflicted on the indigenous peoples of the Pacific. This theme of European guilt and recognition will have a strong and shocking impact.
- About The Author
- Robert Sullivan (Ngapuhi, Kai Tahu) is the author of nine books of poetry, most recently Hopurangi-Songcatcher: Poems from the Maramataka (Auckland University Press, 2024), as well as a graphic novel and an award-winning book of Maori legends for children. He has also co-edited anthologies of Maori and Polynesian poetry. He is associate professor of creative writing at Te Kunenga ki Purehuroa - Massey University and has taught previously at Manukau Institute of Technology and the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
- Product Details
-
- ISBN
- 9781869402815
- Format
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Auckland University Press, (31 December 2002)
- Number of Pages
- 64
- Weight
- 118 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 225 x 164 x 6 mm
- Categories: