Célestine Hitiura Vaite (born 1966) is a French Polynesian writer.

Early life

The daughter of a Tahitian mother and a French father, Vaite grew up in the commune of

Faaa Faaā (also Faaa or Faaʻā; ) is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas country The special territories of members of the European Economic Area (EEA) are the 32 special territories of EU member states and E ...

(Faa'a) on the island of

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

. In her youth, Vaite grew up immersed in traditional storytelling. Having won a scholarship to a leading girls' school in

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

(Pape'ete), she became interested in works by French authors like Balzac,

Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...

Zola Zola may refer to: People * Zola (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * Zola (musician) (born 1977), South African entertainer * Zola (rapper), French rapper * Émile Zola, a major nineteenth-century French writer Plac ...

and

Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

Career

Though she is a native French speaker, Vaite notably writes in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. She began to write out of homesickness while pregnant with her third child in Australia. Vaite has stated that writing in English gives her a wider audience as well as a greater creative freedom. Her first three novels—''Breadfruit'', ''Frangipani'', and ''Tiare''—follow Materena Mahi, a "professional cleaner" who lives in Faaa. The novels describe life in contemporary Tahiti from an inside perspective, through anecdotes and often with great humor. Vaite thus brings attention on a region of the world that Western literature has relegated to travel guides or often described in exotic terms. Her first two novels have been translated into French. ''L'arbre à pain'', the French translation of ''Breadfruit'', was warmly greeted in French Polynesia, where it was awarded the ''Prix littéraire des étudiants'' by the students of the

University of French Polynesia The University of French Polynesia (french: Université de la Polynésie française) is a French university located in Puna'auia, French Polynesia. History Created by a decree of May 29, 1987, the university was originally called French Pac ...

in 2004. ''L'arbre à pain'' is also reputed to be the most widely read book in French Polynesia. Frangipani, which has been published in 14 countries to date, was shortlisted for the 2005 NSW Premier's Literary Awards and longlisted for the 2006 Orange Prize. Vaite was approached by New Zealand musician

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowde ...

in 2018 to collaborate on his opera '' Ihitai 'Avei'a - Star Navigator'' about navigator and priest Tupaia who accompanied

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

on the '' Endeavour'''s maiden voyage, and she wrote monologues in Tahitian to accompany the songs, making ''Ihitai 'Avei'a'' the first opera to performed in English and Tahitian.

Personal life

Vaite currently lives in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and has four children. She is the mother of former model, athlete, and bushfire survivor

Turia Pitt Turia Pitt (born 24 July 1987) is an Australian mining engineer, athlete, motivational speaker, and author. Accident and later life On 2 September 2011, Pitt was competing in an ultramarathon 100km through Western Australia's Kimberley regi ...

. Vaite is amicably separated from her husband.

Bibliography

* ''Breadfruit'', 2000, Winner of the ''Prix littéraire des étudiants'' 2004 * ''Frangipani'', 2004 * ''Tiare'', 2006

References

Sources

* "Célestine Hitiura Vaite." 22 January 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060414014747/http://celestinevaite.com/ * Vaite, Célestine Hitiura. ''Frangipani.'' New York: Back Bay Books, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaite, Celestine Hitiura 1966 births Living people French Polynesian writers French Polynesian emigrants to Australia People from Tahiti French women novelists 21st-century French novelists 21st-century French women writers 20th-century French novelists 20th-century French women writers Tahitian women French Polynesian women writers