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Birth and Death of The Miracle Man, The

Wendt, Albert

This remarkable collection of stories offers a portrait of the fascinating and complex world of Samoa. There is Salepa, down on his luck but determined to use his one talent on the reluctant inhabitants of a nearby town; Fiasola, who feels that the Miracle Man is being born inside him; the young man who disgraces his family by stabbing a European nun; and Gabriel who, on the death of his father, relives his family’s tragic past. Contents: Acknowledgments; Glossary; A Talent; Justice; The Birth and Death of the Miracle Man; Elena’s Son; Exam Failure Praying; The Balloonfish and the Armadillo; Prospecting; I Will be Our Saviour from the Bad Smell; Birthdays; Daughter fo the Mango Season; Crocodile; Hamlet.

The writing is characterised by understatement, density of symbolism, complexity of characterisation, and a slightly malicious sense of humour at the paranoid nature of life — World Literature Today.

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