Online Great Books Podcast #94- Michener's Tales of the South Pacific
This week, Scott and Karl read Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener, one of America’s most beloved storytellers.
As the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, the majority of Michener's novels were lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales, incorporating solid history.
As a collection of related short stories, Tales of the South Pacific interweaves Michener's personal anecdotes from his time stationed as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy on the island of Espiritu Santo during the Pacific campaign in World War II. Karl says, "The book is trying to capture Mitchener's view of what humans are like that ought to be remembered."
Written in 1946, Tales of the South Pacific goes on to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948. Tune in to hear more about Michener’s exploration of what happens when cultures connect, or fail to, in this classic wartime book.