May 01, 2024
Vincent O’Sullivan sensitive to Māori tales
Ngāti Wai writer and editor Paula Morris says the late Vincent O’Sullivan was unafraid to tell Māori stories with respect and thoroughness, despite not being Māori .
Sir Vincent, who married in to Te Rarawa, died in Dunedin on Sunday aged 86.
Morris says he was selected by Ralph Hotere and his whānau to write the artist’s biography The Dark Is Light Enough, published in 2020, despite the challenge it might pose to a pākeha writer.
“For us as writers but also for us as citizens, understanding points of view that are not our own is so essential. If you try at least to understand the points of view and experience a history that is not your own, you will be more empathetic and you will have a better and deeper understanding of issues that people face,” she says.