The Isle of Voices

The Isle of Voices ( engl. The Isle of Voices) is a modern Hawaiian tales of the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, published in Iceland Nights' Entertainments collection 1893.

Time and place

Keola lives with his wife Lehua in the second half of the 19th century on Molokai. In the living room a photograph of Queen Victoria hangs. A steamboat, with canned food as cargo is to invest in the near future.

Content

An anonymous narrator is the best: Keola, who comes from an aristocratic Hawaiian family, can according to the marital union with Lehua indulge in idleness on. If the dollar scarce, conjures his father Kalamake new coins from sea-shells lying around in abundance on the beach. Lehua is currently on a visit to Kaunakakai on the road when the next steamer food is expected. The Family Fund is empty again. Keola be allowed to assist the magician. Although jerks and jerks it a little bit, but the dollar's magic works amazingly well after Keolas impression.

The loafers Keola avoids any further employment and demands more. An accordion is to be conjured next piece. Lehua warns the husband. He should rather not do too much involved with the father. Of course, the husband has no hearing. Keola hopes the father will get the musical instrument during the next fish train. In the direction of Maui, the boat travels across the sea of the dead. Who goes there overboard taught Kalamake that attracts the flow north out into the ocean. His remains will be brought down with the rest of the dead and the spirit had swallowed the gods. Frightening - the body of the father- swells powerful. This huge Warlock smashed the boat and wading through the deep sea of it. Keola lucky. The mate of a schooner on the trip to Honolulu takes him on board. Service on deck is not Keolas thing in the long run. He jumps near the shore into the water and reach the floating island of the vote. There he is kindly received and well taken care of. Work does not have to Keola. He is even given a woman. The young woman puts the newcomer into the picture. The tribesmen were cannibals. Keola to be slaughtered and eaten. The man fled in horror before his new wife. On the beach, he hears everywhere whispering disembodied voices " French, Dutch, Russian, Chinese and Tamil " talk. The island is located about three hours sailing south of Molokai and belongs to the Low or Dangerous Archipelago [A 1]. Your name, the island of the above invisible beings - apparently devils or ghosts - who are talking on the coast. Who throws the spear at the voices, lives much longer.

Suddenly Keola want to die. So fast is not dead. The next morning, the refugee joins the ever-present run of the vote. This move in one direction. Suddenly, during the Wild Hunt, Lehua is - invisible - to Keolas page. It turns out now, even Lehua knows how magic. Using the same utensils as the dollar procurement, the young couple conjures on the island of Molokai back home. Again a tolerable jerk and Keola sitting with Lehua in their own homes.

Later then Keola familiar to a missionary. This man of God condemns once Keolas counterfeiting. Keola donates generously dollars in return for missionary work. This foundation acts twofold. The missionary is calm and swollen father was no longer seen.

Reception

  • Thomas Harbach in the book corner at sf - radio.net,
  • Oliver Kotowski in fantasyguide.de,
  • May 14, 2013: Short meeting at vigilie.de.

German -language literature

Expenditure

  • The island of votes. Pp. 125-147 in Robert Louis Stevenson: In the South Seas. Stories and experiences. With illustrations by Wolfgang dice. Translator: Günter Löffler. Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1972. 390 pages
  • Jorge Luis Borges ( eds.): Robert Louis Stevenson: The island of votes. With a preface by the editor. (Translator of the four stories included: Maria Bamberg and Richard Mummendey ) Edition Weitbrecht ( The Library of Babel 24), Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-522-71240-4. . 142 pages
  • Robert Louis Stevenson: The island of votes. Pp. 465-494. ( Translator: Curt Thesing ) in Robert Louis Stevenson: The wide horizon. Narratives ( The Country strangers. The great men., The body snatchers. Villon. Providence and the Guitar. The story of a lie. Treasure of Franchard. The beach of Falesa. Island of votes. The Bottle Imp ). Dieterich'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Leipzig 1987 ( 6th edition ), ISBN 3-7350-0026-6 [A 2]
  • Robert Louis Stevenson: The island of votes. Speaker: Christian Rode. Translator: Nadine Mutz. Director: Corinna Cimbro. Audio Book ( CD), Freiburg im Breisgau 2008. ISBN 3-89964-189-2

Secondary literature

  • Michael Reinbold: Robert Louis Stevenson. Rowohlt, Reinbek 1995, ISBN 3-499-50488- X.
Kaunakakai, Hawaii Tamil language The Beach of Falesá
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