Sia Figiel
Sia Figiel | |
---|---|
Whitworth College | |
Notable works | Where We Once Belonged |
Notable awards | Commonwealth Writers' Prize |
Sia Figiel (born 1967 Apia, Samoa) is an American contemporary Samoan novelist, poet, and painter.
Early life
Sia Figiel grew up amidst traditional Samoan singing and poetry, which heavily influenced her writing. Figiel's greatest influence and inspiration in her career is the Samoan novelist and poet, Albert Wendt.[1] Her formal schooling was conducted in
Career
Sia Figiel's poetry won the Polynesian Literary Competition in 1994 and her novel Where We Once Belonged won the 1997 Best First Book award in the South East Asia/South Pacific Region of the
In 2000 Figiel performed her Oceanic poetry at the
Selected poetry by Figiel was included in UPU, a compilation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2020. UPU was remounted as part of the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington in June 2021.
Personal life
Sia Figiel's life has been affected by
Novels and poetry
Where We Once Belonged
Sia Figiel's Where We Once Belonged is a Samoan novel set in the fictitious village of Malaefou. It is focused around the titular character, Alofa (a name that literally means love in the Samoan language) and her various encounters with violence and sex.[13] In telling this story, Figiel writes with complex prose that are highly poetic and dream-like. Her writing style is emblematic of Su'ife-filoi; a Samoan form of story telling centred around the "quilt-like weaving of words".[14] Where We Once Belonged marks the first instance of a novel published in the United States that is written by a Samoan female.[15] The novel was adapted into a play by Dave Armstrong,[16] a 2008 production of the play winning the Chapman Tripp theatre award for best new New Zealand play.[17]
They Who Do Not Grieve
In her second novel, They Who Do Not Grieve, published in 2003 by Kaya Press, Figiel incorporates her poetic talents through the voices of three generations of women who descend from Samoa and New Zealand. Writing in a highly poetic medium, They Who Do Not Grieve tells the story of two twin sisters who introduce tattooing to Samoa. Through this themes of self-determination, femininity, and coming of age are addressed.
The Girl in the Moon Circle
To a Young Artist in Contemplation
Figiel's To a Young Artist in Contemplation is a collection of poetry and prose published in 1998 by the Institute of Pacific Studies.[19]
Freelove - A novel
In her novel Freelove, the 17 year old protagonist, Inosia Alofafua Afatasi from the fictional Western Samoan village of Nu'uolemanusa is sent by her mother on an errand to the city of Apia. A chance encounter there with her spiritual brother Loage Viliamu, the son of the pastor in her village and her school teacher, leads her into an unexpected and forbidden relationship. The tale comments on social and communal changes, and was published in 2017 on Kindle and in print in 2018 by Little Island Press.[20]
List of works
- Novels
- Where We Once Belonged (New Zealand: Pasifika, 1996) ISBN 0-908597-27-4 Review
- They Who do not Grieve (1999) ISBN 978-1-885030-33-7
- Poetry & Stories
- The Girl in the Moon Circle (1996) ISBN 2-7427-2372-2
- To a Young Artist in Contemplation, Pacific Writing Forum, USP, 1998, ISBN 978-982-366-005-9 Excerpt
- Anthologies
- ISBN 978-0-8248-2756-4.
- Huia Publishers, ed. (2006). "The Dancers". Niu Voices. Huia Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86969-254-4.
References
- ^ 'Sia Figiel' "Samoan Bios" Retrieved on April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Figiel,Sia". Read NZ Te Pou Murumura. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ Hereniko, Vilsoni. "Back to the Future: Decolonizing Pacific Studies", The Contemporary Pacific Vol. 15, No. 1, Spring 2013. Retrieved on 6 April 2015.
- ^ Figiel, Sia. "At 4:30 in the Morning", Woman Studies Quarterly: Woman Then and Now Vol. 30, No. 3/4, Fall-Winter 2002. Retrieved on 6 April 2015.
- ^ Figiel, Sia. "The Contemporary Pacific", The Contemporary Pacific Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall 1998. Retrieved on 6 April 2015.
- ^ Figiel, Sia. "The Contemporary Pacific", The Contemporary Pacific Vol. 22, No. 1 1998. Retrieved on 6 April 2015.
- ^ Figiel, Sia. "Diabetes Took My Teeth but Not My Life", CNN, 21 February 2014. Retrieved on 03 April 2015.
- ^ 'D Life Its Your Diabetes Lifel.' "Sia Figiel" Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ 'Sia Figiel's Race to Beat Diabetes Leads to the Great Aloha Run.' "Tautalatala" Retrieved on April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Results". Athlinks. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ Wahowiak, Lindsay. "Sia Figiel's Super Effort", Diabetes Forecast: The Healthy Living Magazine March 2014. Retrieved on 19 April 2015.
- Cable News Network" Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ^ Ellis, Juniper. "Reviewed Work: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel", World Literature Today Vol. 71, No. 4, Autumn 1997. Retrieved on 5 April 2015.
- University of Hawaii, May 2005. Retrieved on 5 April 2015.
- ^ "Sia Figiel", Kaya Press, 2015. Retrieved on 5 April 2015.
- ^ "Where We Once Belonged". www.playmarket.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
- ^ "PRODUCTION INFORMATION: WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED". www.theatreview.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
- Good ReadsRetrieved on April 18, 2015.
- Good ReadsRetrieved on April 19, 2015.
- ^
ISBN 9780982253557LO'IHI PRESS
Relevant literature
- Ramsay, Raylene. 2018. "Indigenous Women Writers in the Pacific: Déwé Gorodé, Sia Figiel, Patricia Grace." Postcolonial Text 7.1:1-18. (2012).
External links
- A Conversation with Sia Figiel at Frigatezine
- Between the steel bars poem at nzepc
- They Who do not Grieve recording of excerpt
- Songs of the fat brown woman poem
- A Garland of Exile and Belonging Time Pacific
- Bibliography
- Sia Figiel profile at The South Project