August 19, 2022
Soutar mines Tairawhiti past for novels
A leading Māori historian has turned his hand to fiction.
Monty Soutar has completed the first in a trilogy of novels following an East Coast whānau from pre-contact to post-colonial Aotearoa.
He says in preparation he took a course in creative writing.
Kāwai: For Such a Time As This is based on true events but he says it’s definitely fiction.
“I read a chapter to my nephews and nieces and they said ‘wow, so that’s what really happened,’ and I said no, I’ve created some of this nga hui waihanga. There’s no way we could know what was in the minds of our ancestors back in the 1700s,” Dr Soutar says.
Kāwai: For Such a Time as This will be pubsliehd on September 12 by David Bateman
Mr Soutar says he is confident his book will be well recieved which will be realeased to the public this September.