Māori Novels in English

Abstract

This chapter discusses the history of Maōri novels written primarily in English and for adult readers, taking as its definitional starting point the self-identification of the author as Maōri. Critics have variously situated Maōri fiction in terms of international literary trends or regionally, as part of Pacific literature. The question that arises is whether it is most productive to read the Maōri novel in a comparative framework with other Indigenous literatures. The chapter considers English-language novels published in four different periods: the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s; the last period has seen the glocalization of the Maōri novel as writers have ventured into fantasy, magic realism, and Maōri sci-fi. Major Maōri novelists include Keri Hulme, Patricia Grace, Alan Duff, Witi Ihimaera, and Paula Morris.