From Silence to Voice: the Rise of Maori Literature

Before the 1970s, Maori existed in New Zealand literature as figures created by Pakeha writers. The Maori Renaissance changed all that. Fiction writers led by Witi Ihimaera and Patricia Grace challenged earlier stereotypes and literary forms, creating a new body of writing that has redefined the Maori in literature. From Silence to Voice portrays the early ‘silence’ of Maori in New Zealand literature – characterised in caricature by colonial writers, then in increasingly sympathetic portraits from the likes of Frank Sargeson, Janet Frame and Noel Hilliard – through to the new and challenging works presented by Maori writers themselves. The largest part of the book is devoted to the Maori ‘voice’, in a close critical analysis of Ihimaera’s and Grace’s major works. Della Valle brings an insightful post-colonial perspective to the subject, while also offering revealing discussion of links with the literature and culture of Italy.