Polynesian Artists And Writers
● Artist Paul Gauguin lived in Tahiti and his house is now a museum. William Somerset Maugham arrived shortly after his funeral to write “The Moon And Sixpence”, based loosely on his life.
● Robert Louis Stevenson was accompanied here by his intrepid wife, Fanny, who sailed the South Seas with him until his death. His works included the classic “Treasure Island”.
● Herman Melville worked on a Moorea potato farm and his stay was the inspiration for his later novels, including “Moby Dick”. Jack London came cruising in Herman’s wake, writing his novel “The Sea Wolf”.
● Here, too, was the place where James Norman Hall set “The Bounty Trilogy”, with the infamous Captain Bligh – the 1984 remake was filmed on Moorea.
● James A. Michener’s “Tales Of The South Pacific” later led to the famous long-running Broadway show and film.
● Saddest of all was poet Rupert Brooke, who fell in love with a Tahitian girl and married her, writing the poem “Tiare Tahiti” in her honour, before fighting in WWI, where he was killed.