The Islands of Unwisdom
{{short description|1949 novel by Robert Graves}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
| name = The Islands of Unwisdom
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| image = Islands of Unwisdom Cover.jpg
| caption = First edition cover (US)
| author = Robert Graves
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| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
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| genre = Historical novel
| publisher = Doubleday (US), 1949
Cassell (UK), 1950
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| media_type = print
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The Islands of Unwisdom is an historical novel by Robert Graves, published in 1949. It was also published in the UK as The Isles of Unwisdom.{{cite web |title=THE ISLANDS OF UNWISDOM by Robert Graves |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/robert-graves2/islands-unwisdom/ |publisher=Kirkus Reviews |accessdate=26 June 2018}}{{cite web |title=The Isles of Unwisdom by Robert Graves |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3437458-the-isles-of-unwisdom |publisher=Goodreads |accessdate=26 June 2018}}
Plot
It is a reconstruction of an historic event, the voyage of Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira to find the Solomon Islands. Graves tells a story with many surprising twists, in which some characters turn out to be quite different from how they are first portrayed. In Graves's telling, when the Spanish first come into contact with Solomon Islanders, the relationship is cordial. However, the Spanish expedition's need for fresh food and water quickly leads to tension and conflict, the Solomon Islanders’ subsistence economy being unable to provide continuous supplies. The real prizes are pigs, desperately needed by the Spanish, while vital to the local people's economy. The tensions cannot be resolved, and so the Spaniards sail home. Graves also considered that the story summarizes the reasons Spain lost its early lead in exploring the world.
Millennium Graves
The novel was republished in 2003 as part of the 'Millennium Graves' edition.{{cite book |title=The Story of Marie Powell, Wife to Mr.Milton: AND The Isles of Unwisdom (The millennium Graves) Hardcover – 30 Jan 2003 |id={{ASIN|1857545850|country=uk}} }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- Reference at [http://www.booksandwriters.co.uk/writer/G/robert-von-ranke-graves.asp Books and Writers]
{{Robert Graves}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islands of Unwisdom}}
Category:Novels by Robert Graves
Category:Novels set in Oceania
Category:Doubleday (publisher) books
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