Tiare Tahiti

a sacred space: marae ti’i rua, Mo’orea

Lillian, you spent seven years writing The Charm Buyers. What were your inspirations for writing this story?

My inspirations were the land and the people. Tahiti is incredibly beautiful, but there’s also such sadness in its history. I hoped to bring its recent history to life, particularly nuclear testing - but I didn’t want to write a polemic novel. I hope that The Charm Buyers brings the complexity, radiance, darkness, and hopefulness of its individuals to life.

Pukarua

photo: Francoise Holozet-Howan

Yoshino Cherry Blossoms

Bora Bora at Twilight

Happy Lunar New Year to all!

Sunset in Puka-Puka

photo: Francoise Holozet-Howan

Thank you to TuftsNow of Tufts University for selecting The Charm Buyers for Summer Reading! Thank you to Grace Talusan for writing The Charm Buyers review for Tufts!

POLYNESIA: PARADISE LOST?

In this two-part feature, Lillian Howan, author of a powerful novel set in Tahiti, offers a revealing interview and a lyrical essay describing her cultural heritage, her creativity and her experie…

Thank you author & literary shaman Leslie Stuart Tate for interviewing me on my childhood in Tahiti and my novel The Charm Buyers, as well as chronic illness, and lupus. Thankful to Francoise Holozet-Howan for the spectacular photos - this interview begins with a translation of her message re why she shares these photos: to bring more awareness to the environmental vulnerability of these islands, on the frontlines of climate change.