"This book is the first full-length study of Wendt's work. It places it in cultural and historical context, tracing archival sources of themes and key influences, and offers close readings of all the major texts. There is an introduction to Pacific Literature as a whole and to Wendt's Samoan background. Textual commentary relates each phase of production to key motifs from Polynesian culture and to literary movements of the time in New Zealand and abroad. There is an extensive bibliography of works by and about Wendt." "Pacific Literature is now being taught in Australia, the US, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the Pacific Islands. This book, a much-needed addition to the critical resources in this growing field, will be an invaluable aid to students of both Pacific writing and postcolonial studies in general, from the level of high school through to teaching and research."--Back cover.