''The Navigator'' (1976) is a novel by Australian writer
Morris West. It was originally published by
Collins
Collins may refer to:
People Surname
Given name
* Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat
* Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration
* Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...
in England in 1976.
Synopsis
Gunnar Thorkild, half Polynesian and half European, the "navigator" of the title, mounts an expedition to the Island of the Dead, a legendary Polynesian island where, supposedly, all navigators go before their death.
Critical reception
Lyn Frost, in ''The Canberra Times'', noted: "The theme is one that recurs so often in West's novels, of a man confronting his belief in his god. The author has moved from the dogma of Rome to the dreaming of the Pacific and written one of his best."
Eileen Alderton was rather blunt in her assessment of the novel: "Thinking of getting away for it all on a lost Pacific island? After reading this you won't."
In her literary study of West and his work, Maryanne Confoy noted: "The tranquility of the 60-year-old West...resonates in ''The Navigator'' though conversations which affirm honesty in relationships, and people's decisions to look inwards and make some judgements about their lives in the context of their early hopes and dreams."
[''Morris West: Literary Maverick'' by Maryanne Confoy, John Wiley & Sons, 2005, p192]
Publication history
After its original publication in 1976 in England by publishers
Collins
Collins may refer to:
People Surname
Given name
* Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat
* Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration
* Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...
the novel was later published as follows:
*
William Morrow, USA, 1976
*
Pocket Books, USA, 1977
*
Allen & Unwin
George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an ...
, Australia, 2017
and many other paperback editions.
The novel was translated into Spanish in 1976.
Notes
* Dedication: "This book is for those of us, / Children still, / Who, even at the gates of midnight, / Dream of sunrise."
* Epigraph:
::Some island
::With the sea's silence on it...
''Pippa Passes'' Part ii, Robert Browning
See also
*
1976 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1976.
Events
*
Major publications Books
* Robert Drewe – ''The Savage Crows''
* David Ireland (author), David Ireland – ''The Gla ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navigator, The
1976 Australian novels
Works by Morris West