Publisher's Synopsis
In The Face of the Deep we float on and submerge below the ocean's liquid mirror, surfing and diving in a "continuum, concatenation, of sunrises, sunsets... one's consciousness itself rising and falling with the swell." From villages in Samoa to haunts in Hawaii, Thomas Farber tells of encounters in bars and backwaters as he explores Oceania's mythologies and literatures. From treasure hunters of Cocos Island to writers of the Literary Pacific, from Stevenson and Melville to the indigenous writings of Wendt Hau'ofa, Farber navigates the complexities of the Pacific and its peoples. With the play and music of his language, Farber's shimmering reflections give us a fresh appreciation of the Pacific's depths.
