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Manituana (2007)

by Wu Ming

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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2981787,556 (3.59)14
1775--The conflict between the British Empire and the American colonies erupts in all-out war. Rebels and loyalists to the British Crown compete for an alliance with the Six Nations of the Iroquois, the most powerful Indian confederation, boasting a constitution hundreds of years old. In the Mohawk River Valley, Native Americans and colonists have co-existed for generations. But as the thunder of war approaches and the United States struggles violently into existence, old bonds are broken, friends and families are split by betrayal, and this mixed community is riven by hatred and resentment. To save his threatened world, the Mohawk war chief Joseph Brant sets off in a restless journey that will take him from New York to the salons of Georgian London at the heart of the British Empire.… (more)
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» See also 14 mentions

English (10)  Italian (5)  French (1)  Spanish (1)  All languages (17)
Showing 1-5 of 10 (next | show all)
English language version now available for free from the Wu Ming Foundation:
http://www.wumingfoundation.com/english/Wu_Ming_Manituana_EN.pdf
  magonistarevolt | May 10, 2020 |
There was no room for the past in America.

There is an irony in that statement, rhetorical as it might be. It is exactly the surfeit of room which allows so much of America to malinger and multiply, to prosper and fester in equal parts. This is an epic book but it is a soft 5 on the GR scale. This is a collection of silences, omissions and unplayed notes: it is a Kind of Blue for the Vollmann set.

They ran to save a clutch of souls from the Apocalypse. They ran, because it was written thus. Time was ending, and everything was reaching its conclusion.

(perhaps Sweet Reader one should fashion a list of the novelistic histories, the Seven or so Dreams of our Rabelaisian erudition)

Wu Ming have collectively penned a tale of Destiny -- and Despair. It is the American War of Independence from the perspective of the Native Americans in league with the Loyalists. The novel was published originally in Italian in 2007 and it bears the acerbic awareness of those weary years of Mission Accomplished and the Dick Cheney Rule of International Law. There is even a minor character named Rumsfeld. It doesn't require explanation but this text weeps for loss, the narrative rests and rolls on those salty, muddy tears. Manituana shines when the focus shifts to London and an audience with (mad) King George. The narrative then returns to the New World and its manufacture of hope. There history is reaped in brazen prose. The only complaint is the dearth. This novel should have been twice its length. ( )
  jonfaith | Feb 22, 2019 |
An enlightening book about the painful birth of the United States of America, told mostly from the perspective of the losers - the white settlers and native Americans who were not on the side of republicans, and whose story is hard and often hidden. Shifting from the sacred lands of the Americans, to the teeming streets of Georgian London and back again to the realities of hard fought battle, this is thought provoking and painful - we learn to love characters who we know are history's losers.
  otterley | Jan 31, 2015 |
This is not the story we learned in grade school about the Revolutionary War. In the 1700's the Six Nations of the Iroquois (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora) had a remarkably advanced system of laws. It was also a common practice to take captives from other tribes into their culture. The Six Nations lived peaceably with the white settlers and intermarriage was not unknown. Leaders of the Six Tribes met with and were respected by the British. However, as more and more white settlers moved into the Indian territories, tensions arose. But even more complicating was the tension that was developing between the American colonies and Britain. The Indians did not understand the whites rebelling against the Great King in Britain. Chief Joseph Brandt as leader of the Mohawks finds himself in an increasingly difficult position.

History slowly unfolds taking Joseph eventually to England for a meeting with the King. Part Two is an interesting, sometimes humorous, depiction of the Indians stay in England complete with British thugs posing as the "seventh nation of the Indian tribe". The last part of the novel dissolves into raw violence between the Indians fighting the Rebels. Peopled with characters as Ethan Allen, King George, and Sir William Johnson, the novel provides a wide panorama of the US fight for independence.

Although somewhat difficult to follow at the beginning of the book (both the Indian name and the Anglo name is often used interchangeably), the story soon becomes gripping. The really short chapters seemed to fit the story perfectly. "Manituana" is an excellent example of how complicated history really is.

I knew nothing about the "authors" of this title and find it totally fascinating that a "collective of Italian fiction writers" could paint such a vivid picture of America's history from an angle that few have considered before. If you enjoy historical fiction, check this one out. ( )
  maryreinert | Aug 17, 2013 |
This is a dense literary patchwork construction, powered by action and adventure. Huge, sprawling, every time it tends towards "sweeping historical adventure" a scene from anothe POV will pull your attention back to the small moments in some ordinary life - there is no space for romantic idealisation of the past here. I found it really hard to *not* think about what the writing process would have been - that still fascinates me, and apparently everyone who's published a review of it. I almost wish I'd read it *not* knowing anything about the authors. ( )
  AlexDraven | Dec 30, 2011 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Wu Mingprimary authorall editionscalculated
Alberti, AndreaIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mogford, DanDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Whiteside, ShaunTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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1775--The conflict between the British Empire and the American colonies erupts in all-out war. Rebels and loyalists to the British Crown compete for an alliance with the Six Nations of the Iroquois, the most powerful Indian confederation, boasting a constitution hundreds of years old. In the Mohawk River Valley, Native Americans and colonists have co-existed for generations. But as the thunder of war approaches and the United States struggles violently into existence, old bonds are broken, friends and families are split by betrayal, and this mixed community is riven by hatred and resentment. To save his threatened world, the Mohawk war chief Joseph Brant sets off in a restless journey that will take him from New York to the salons of Georgian London at the heart of the British Empire.

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1775, all'alba della rivoluzione che generò gli Stati Uniti d'America. Lealisti e ribelli si contendono l'alleanza delle Sei Nazioni irochesi, la più potente confederazione indiana. Nella valle del fiume Mohawk, indigeni e coloni convivono da decenni. Scelte laceranti travolgono il futuro di una comunità meticcia: il viaggio deve cominciare, fino alla capitale dell'Impero, e la via del ritorno è già sentiero di guerra. Un cacciatore irochese abbandona i boschi e i romanzi di Voltaire. Un guerriero del Clan del Lupo interrompe la traduzione del Vangelo e imbraccia il fucile. Un baronetto di Sua Maestà compare nei sogni di bianchi e indiani. Una donna guida il suo popolo attraverso le fiamme. Dopo anni di ricerche e scrittura, la nuova narrazione dell'officina di cantastorie nota coi nomi "Luther Blissett" (ieri) e "Wu Ming" (oggi). Un romanzo epico sulla nascita di una nazione e lo sterminio di molti mondi possibili.
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