The Beach of Falesa. Based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson.

by Dylan Thomas

"The Beach of Falesá" is a short story by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It was first published in the Illustrated London News in 1892, and later published in book form in the short-story collection Island Nights' Entertainments (1893). It was written after Stevenson moved to the South Seas island of Samoa just a few years before he died there. The story is told in the first person by John Wiltshire, a British copra trader on the fictional South Sea island of Falesá. Upon arriving on the island, he meets a rival trader named Case, who (in an apparently friendly gesture) arranges for him to be "married" to a local girl named Uma in a ceremony designed to impress the natives but to be completely non-binding in the view of Europeans. Wiltshire soon discovers that Uma has a taboo attached to her which causes all the other natives to refuse to do business with him, to Case's profit. He also hears rumors of Case having been involved in the suspicious deaths of his previous competitors. Although realising that he has been tricked, Wiltshire has genuinely fallen in love with Uma, and has their marriage legalised by a passing missionary. Wiltshire gradually learns that Case's influence over the villagers stems from their belief that he has demonic powers, as a result of his simple conjuring tricks as well as strange noises and visions they have experienced at a "temple" he has built in the forest. Upon investigating, Wiltshire finds that these experiences are also tricks produced by imported technologies such as luminous paint and Aeolian harps. Wiltshire sets out that night to destroy the temple with gunpowder. Case confronts him and the two men fight, resulting in Case's death. The story concludes with Wiltshire several years later living on another island, still happily married to Uma, worrying about what will happen to his mixed-race children.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Dylan Marlais Thomas (1914-1953) was a Welsh poet who wrote in English. Many regard him as one of the 20th century's most influential poets.

In addition to poetry, Thomas wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, with the latter frequently performed by Thomas himself. His public readings, particularly in America, won him great acclaim; his booming, at times, ostentatious voice, with a subtle Welsh lilt, became almost as famous as his works. His best-known work includes the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood and the celebrated villanelle for his dying father, "Do not go gentle into that good night." Appreciative critics have also noted the superb craftsmanship and compression of poems such as "In my craft or sullen art" and the rhapsodic lyricism of Fern Hill.

Reviews

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiltshire unja a banánt, úgyhogy elmegy kókuszért. Ki is köt a festői Polinézia Falesa nevezetű szigetén kereskedelmi állomást üzemeltetni – a bennszülöttek hozzák majd a koprát, ő meg cserébe rákkonzervet ad nekik. Jaj, de jó Wiltshire-nek, gondolhatjuk, Falesán biztos nincs Facebook se, csak napsütés, pálmák, hosszú homokos partok, no meg egy csinos polinéz leányzó, bizonyos Uma, akivel hősünk gyorsan össze is házasodik. Csakhogy sajna nincs regény konfliktus nélkül, tehát annak rendje és módja szerint feltűnik a kötelező antagonista, Case, aki történetesen a másik kereskedelmi állomást üzemelteti, és úgy fest, valami rosszban sántikál, és ehhez nem fél felhasználni a helyiek babonásságát sem.

Rövid ujjgyakorlat arról, hogyan használja ki a ravasz opportunista a mezei jónép butaságát és félelmeit céljai érdekében. Örök mese, sosem lehet eleget olvasni, mindig aktuális. Egyértelmű, többet is ki lehetett volna hozni belőle, valahogy hiányzik nekem a regény közepe – Wiltshire megérkezik, akklimatizálódik, jön a feszültség, de hamar véget is ér, és máris dokkolunk a fináléban. Kár. Pedig amúgy valami sötétebbet és mélyebbet is össze lehetett volna kalapálni ebből az alapanyagból. Azért jó volt, mondhatni, cuki – e borús, paranoid időben amúgy is kész áldás polinéz szigetekre utazni, mégpedig a lehető legbiztonságosabban: gondolatban.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 3 - Drama on 3:
World premiere of an unfilmed screenplay by Dylan Thomas, newly adapted for radio for the centenary of his birth.

Wiltshire arrives on an unnamed Pacific island hoping to trade in copra. But an encounter with rival trader Case leads to a macabre wedding. Shunned by the locals, Wiltshire sets out to uncover the secret behind Case's mysterious hold over the islanders, and the truth in the tales of the singing devils living deep in the bush.

Dylan Thomas adapted the short story of the same title by Robert Louis Stevenson to create this screenplay but it was never filmed, despite interest from Richard Burton. So this radio adaptation for the centenary of his birth is the world premiere of a work that blends some of the wordplay of Under Milk Wood with the brooding mystery of Heart of Darkness.

Alison Hindell has previously directed for Radio 4 both Under Milk Wood (which combined the archive recording of Burton as First Voice with a new cast) and The Art of Conversation, another Thomas premiere, being a previously unbroadcast radio script written during the war.

Alison came across The Beach of Falesa when her stepdaughter moved into a new house in Sydney and found the published edition of the text amongst the remnants left behind by the previous owner.

A BBC Cymru Wales production.

[Kathryn Liu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an unfilmed screenplay written by Dylan Thomas, adapting a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original short story was poorly received at its time of publication, as fans of RLS resented the author’s turn towards realism + the story’s anti-colonialism sentiments. Interesting that Dylan Thomas wanted to adapt it to the screen. Kind of cool to see how he approaches a screenplay, but obviously doesn’t compare in the slightest to his poetry. Should not be considered representative of Dylan Thomas’ writing, that’s for sure. The thought of anyone judging him by this work is bone chilling.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 thought this was going to take longer and be more interesting than it actually was, however it wasn’t extremely boring and the sentimental value was kind of there. Overall just a very neutral play

[Sally Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh goodness, so racism, so sexists, and I know it a sign of the time but it was physically painful to watch.

[David Darran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually the RL Stevenson text that I read. Set text for uni. Fine with it. Good short story

[J. Milius · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose itself is pretty in parts, but the overall story relies too much on the prejudices of colonialism to set the unsettling tone.

[Cameron Jenkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Go Dylan Thomas give us nothing! (Except racism and sexism 😄)

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Approaching this as a "scathing" take on British imperialism rather clouded my view as I thought it was quite rosy, but looking back I do chuckle at the very tongue in cheek cliques produced of the rugged trader, his nemesis and his henchmen...it is very a play.

Whiltshire: "Tell them I've come to do them good. Tell him I've come to bring them trade and civilisation"

Case: "He says that have quite enough civilisation, thank you. They have enough guns, gin and disease that they know what to do with."

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, this is a story of elemental power, a drama-charged clash between good and evil. The setting is a South Sea island. To this tropical paradise comes Wiltshire, an English trader. Behind the island's beautiful facade he discovers a rotten, corrupt world of mad terror and evil over which Case, a rival trader, holds dominion.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm thinking that Dylan Thomas is overrated and not sure why Robert Zimmerman chose him as a namesake (of course, I haven't yet read his poetry). This is a very simplistic story with one dimensional characters. A pretty nasty villain earned it its second star.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its Dylan Thomas so it should be read.