The Saraga! Edition of Prose

Like many other national literatures in the post-colonial era, contemporary Pacific writing includes much that would be familiar to readers of recent decades, although there have been new developments. As with many other national literatures, life writing, or the telling of family histories is an encouraging, and growing trend. So too are attempts at formal experimentation, and play, particularly amongst younger writers, who find relevance not

ONE, TWO, THREE, JUMP! (The Global Warming Play)

Ian Gaskell

(A Fijian man, Apete, saunters in SL and stands C staring vaguely out at the view.  After a short pause an Indo-Fijian, Shailesh, enters SR.  He, too, is in no particular hurry. He joins Apete, looks at the same view.) 

(After a longish silence)

Apete: Morning Shailesh

Shailesh: Morning Apete

(Long pause, Shailesh, yawning, running finger around collar, unsticking shirt from back)

Shailesh: It’s

Torn Between Two Worlds

Taina Hazleman

        Growing up on a Pacific island paradise could be everyone’s dream of an ideal life with all the luxuries of fresh air, tropical sunshine, breathtaking landscapes, luscious forests, chirping birds and friendly people. Ironically, for my siblings and I, enduring the pains of being torn between two worlds left emotional scars that shaped our destiny.

      With only a suitcase of clothes and a few yuan in his pocket, Pa,

My Grandmother’s Tale
 
Tereeao Teingiia-Ratite  

That night, my mind was busy thinking about the separation, which was coming soon and hard to believe. My eyes stared at the thatches of the house, which were brushing slightly to the tune of the soft breeze from the sea.

It was early in the month of September 1941 when there were rumours of war coming towards our island-Nikunau. The rumours were spread fast as fire among the gossiping women in the mwaneaba doing their

The Emigrants

Seona Smiles

“So, they’ve invited us to their lovely new home in Beachcliff for dinner.  Is that Fiji dinner, or Australian dinner?  Yes, there is a difference.  Australian dinner is lunch.  Then they have tea.  But tea is not tea, it is meat with two veg, icecream fruit salad.  How you don’t know these things?  Because you never go in kitchen, that’s why.  Other people’s husbands in Australia go in kitchen sometimes. 

Okay, so its dinner dinner.