The Kanak Apple Season: Selected Short Fiction of Dewe Gorode

by Déwé Gorodé, Peter Brown (Translator)

The first volume in a new series publishing Francophone writers of the Pacific in English, The Kanak Apple Season presents the short fiction of Dewe Gorode, the leading Kanak author of New Caledonia. This collection reflects the ethnic complexities of the colonial past of New Caledonia. The author's approach to language reveals an original voice that compels attention. Drawing on the heritage of blood-lines, family, cultural tradition and colonialism, Gorode takes her reader on a journey into the Kanak world providing insight into the culture of one of Australia's nearest - yet least known - neighbours.

Genres: Short Stories

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Déwé Gorodey, or Déwé Gorodé, (born 1 June 1949) is a New Caledonian teacher, writer, feminist and politician. She was active in agitating for independence from France in the 1970s. She has published poetry, short stories and novels. From 1999 she has been a member of the New Caledonia government, representing the pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front. From April 2001 to June 2009 she served almost continuously as Vice President of the Government of New Caledonia.

Reviews

[Suzesmum · Rating 2 out of 5]

53 🇳🇨NEW CALEDONIA 🇳🇨 Dewe Gorode is an indigenous Kanak author, politician, activist, teacher and feminist who was active in NC’s independence movement from France in the 1970s. This collection of short stories is a result of @ouranu’s Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies project to publish more Pacific Francophine authors in English. That in itself is a great project, and for all the reasons above I really wanted to read Gorode’s work. I naively thought that given the title, the stories would be folk tales, but no. The stories are mostly about mundane life and the very complicated blood-lines. Arranged marriages, village life, cannabis usage, an international conference delegation in Sydney were some of the topics. Not what I was hoping fore. The writing style is also painstakingly detailed and dull. I don’t know if this is the author’s true style or the responsibility of the translator/editor. A really difficult (not technically complex), unrewarding read. Sorry😞

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book for my Around-the-World reading challenge (New Caledonia), and did not enjoy it. The writing is odd: despite the vivid imagery and straightforward prose, I found it hard to maintain focus on the narrative. Points of view shift suddenly, and many of the characters were not engaging enough for me to care about them.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorodé’s writing is beautiful. I began reading with great enthusiasm, which paled somewhat over the course of the collection; the writing can be a little over-precise at times, and in a collection this size there is something about the language that becomes monotonous. There is little in the way of dramatic tension, the pace is languid, and the reader is held at a distance from the events of the stories. However, the stories taken individually are lovely.

The collection as a whole presents a very interesting exploration into changing Kanak culture in the 20th century. Most of these stories take place in rural areas, in the forest and the mountains, where life is tribal and traditional, though no lives are untouched by the disruptive force of colonialism. Gorodé is especially concerned with the aftereffects of colonialism and the régime de l’Indigénat–the forcible resettlement of indigenous Melanesians onto reserves (often far from their homes, the impact of which cannot be felt without an understanding of the importance of the connection between Kanak people and the land they inhabit), where they were made to work in indentured servitude–and with the ways in which women are emerging from the constricting roles imposed both by traditional Kanak society and the colonial regime.

This review is an excerpt from a longer review on my blog, Around the World in 2000 Books.