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Article: A Maori writer in two worlds. (Essay).
- Article from:
- The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Gay & Lesbian Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WITI IHIMAERA was born in 1944, in Gisborne, New Zealand, into the Te Aitanga A Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, and Ngati Porou tribes. The New Zealand writer and poet Bill Manhire once noted that if Moby Dick were translated into the Maori language, its introduction would be titled "Call me Ihimaera." The Ihimaera is a Maori version of the name Ishmael. His nickname is "Wicked" Ihimaera.
Ihimaera emerged as a writer in the 1970's, a time of Maori renaissance in the arts. In 1972 he published his first book, Pounamu, Pounamu, a collection of short stories. New Zealand Prime Minister Norman Kirk read the book and selected Ihimaera to serve in the Ministry of Foreign ...