Noa-Noa: Voyage to Tahiti

 

Gauguin's great diary from Tahiti almost never saw the light of day in its original form. Sent by the artist to his friend Charles Morice in Paris, the manuscript was published in 1901 with immediate success, under the names Paul Gauguin and Charles Morice. With Gauguin's permission, Morice had "edited" and enlarged it to make it more readable. It was to be 40 years before Gauguin's original version came to light, and it is published here in a translation by Jonathan Griffin, together with a detailed afterword by Jean Loize, who rediscovered the manuscript. Loize shows that Morice had in parts altered Gauguin's text beyond recognition—a startling discovery that entirely changed ideas about Gauguin's style and intentions. This genuine version is not only an important document, it is also a beautiful piece of writing: amusing, acid, wide-eyed, and moving. Gauguin feared that, unedited, it would seem absurdly crude; and no doubt it would have, to most readers in his day. Today we can appreciate its sketch form, jerky directness, authentic freshness. This edition is illustrated with the watercolors, wood-engravings, and drawings that Gauguin assembled for the book.