Manituana
Encyclopedia
Manituana is a novel by Wu Ming first published in Italian
in 2007.
Wu Ming is a collective of five authors founded in 2000. The members were formerly associated with the Luther Blissett
Project and wrote the international best-selling novel Q
.
Manituana is the first episode of an 18th-century pan-Atlantic trilogy which the authors call "the Atlantic Triptych". All novels will be set in the 1770s, all across the Atlantic Ocean (North America, Europe, the West Indies and Africa), before and during the American Revolution.
, Quebec
and London (UK).
The novel is divided into three main sections entitled "Iroquireland", "Mohock Club" and "Cold Cold Heart". There are two brief interludes between the sections, entitled "The Crossing" and "The Return".
Among the numerous real historical characters that populate the book, the most important ones are Joseph Brant
, war chief of the Mohawk nation
, and Molly Brant, a matron of the Wolf clan in the Iroquois
Six Nations.
2007 and the Premio Emilio Salgari
2008.
The US, UK, Spanish and French editions were all published in 2009. The novel was translated into English by Shaun Whiteside. In November 2010 the novel was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
.
In an entry on their weblog, Wu Ming wrote that "Manituana was written between 2003 and 2007, and it soaked up all the tensions of that period: S11, the Neoconservative hegemony on US foreign policy, the lies on Saddam allegedly keeping weapons of mass destruction hidden in the desert, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, George W. Bush winning his second term thanks to the Christian right in 2004, Silvio Berlusconi
conquering the hearts and minds of the majority of Italians etc."
This was acknowledged by many reviewers. Film critic and writer Woody Haut wrote that the novel 'has clear parallels with the war in Iraq, and the pitting of "good" Muslims against "bad" Muslims, just as Native Americans were used during the revolutionary period, only for the colonists to exploit and devastate both groups.'
Reviewing Manituana on CounterPunch
, Ron Jacobs recognized "a mirror of this situation in today's manipulations of the indigenous peoples in the lands the west wants as its own today: the Shia vs. Sunni conflict in Iraq and the manipulation of tribal conflicts in Afghanistan are but two examples that come immediately to mind. Manituana evokes the dangerous conceit of men who believe it is their destiny to rule the world.
British newspaper The Independent
wrote
The French newspaper Le Monde
wrote that in Manituana "history is never simple nor reducible to pre-fixed schemes... Reality is much more complex and tangled, and every character has gloomy facets, weaknesses and contradictions. No-one is neither completely innocent nor completely guilty, and one's legitimate battle for liberty and independence may bring about the loss of someone else's independence and liberty."
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
in 2007.
Wu Ming is a collective of five authors founded in 2000. The members were formerly associated with the Luther Blissett
Luther Blissett (nom de plume)
Luther Blissett is a multiple-use name, an "open reputation" informally adopted and shared by hundreds of artists and activists all over Europe and the Americas since 1994...
Project and wrote the international best-selling novel Q
Q (novel)
Q is a novel by Luther Blissett first published in Italian in 1999. The novel is set in Europe during the 16th century, and deals with Protestant reformation movements....
.
Manituana is the first episode of an 18th-century pan-Atlantic trilogy which the authors call "the Atlantic Triptych". All novels will be set in the 1770s, all across the Atlantic Ocean (North America, Europe, the West Indies and Africa), before and during the American Revolution.
Setting and plot
Manituana is set in the years 1775-1783 in New York's Mohawk ValleyMohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and London (UK).
The novel is divided into three main sections entitled "Iroquireland", "Mohock Club" and "Cold Cold Heart". There are two brief interludes between the sections, entitled "The Crossing" and "The Return".
Among the numerous real historical characters that populate the book, the most important ones are Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
, war chief of the Mohawk nation
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, and Molly Brant, a matron of the Wolf clan in the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
Six Nations.
Characters
- Sir William Johnson, 1st BaronetSir William Johnson, 1st BaronetSir William Johnson, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish official of the British Empire. As a young man, Johnson came to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Admiral Peter Warren, which was located amidst the Mohawk, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League...
. Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern colonies. - Joseph BrantJoseph BrantThayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
. Mohawk war chief and translator for the British Indian Department. - Molly Brant. Joseph Brant's older sister and Sir William's common-law-wifeCommon-law marriageCommon-law marriage, sometimes called sui juris marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute, is a form of interpersonal status that is legally recognized in limited jurisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognized marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage...
. - Philip Lacroix (fictional). A Mohawk brave nicknamed "Le Grand Diable"
- Guy JohnsonGuy JohnsonGuy Johnson was an Irish-born military officer and diplomat for the Crown during the American War of Independence. He had migrated to the Province of New York as a young man and worked with his uncle, Sir William Johnson, British Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the northern colonies. He was...
. Sir William's nephew and successor as Superintendent. - Esther Johnson. (Fictional) eldest daughter of Guy Johnson.
- Lord Warwick. (Semi-fictional) mentor of the Mohawk delegation during their stay in London.
- The "London Mohocks". An East End street gang taking inspiration from Native American imagery and the Mohock ClubMohocksThe Mohocks were a gang that terrorized London in the early 18th century, attacking men and women alike. Taking their name from the Mohawk Indians, they assaulted both men and women, disfiguring their male victims and sexually assaulting their female victims...
. - Ethan AllenEthan AllenEthan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
. Revolutionary leader and Colonel Commandant of the Green Mountain BoysGreen Mountain BoysThe Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in the 1760s in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants...
. - Johannes Tekarihoga. A SachemSachemA sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
of the Mohawk Nation. - Jonas Klug. A land-owner and militiaman in the Mohawk Valley.
- Nicholas HerkimerNicholas HerkimerNicholas Herkimer was a militia general in the American Revolutionary War, who died of wounds after the Battle of Oriskany.-Career:...
. Brigadier General in the Tryon County militiaTryon County militia-Militia regiments:On March 8, 1772, The Province of New York passed a bill for the establishment of organized militia in each county. In 1775, at the start of the American Revolution, the Tryon County militia comprised four regiments, formed according to their geographical locations:* 1st...
. - Panifex. A London journalist.
- "North", "East", "South" and "West". Four London merchants and opinion-makers.
Reactions and interpretations
In the springtime of 2007, Manituana reached #4 in the Italian best-seller charts. In the following months, it was awarded the Premio Sergio LeoneSergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
2007 and the Premio Emilio Salgari
Emilio Salgari
Emilio Salgari was an Italian writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction.For over a century, his novels were mandatory reading for generations of youth eager for exotic adventures. In Italy, his extensive body of work was more widely read than that of Dante. Today...
2008.
The US, UK, Spanish and French editions were all published in 2009. The novel was translated into English by Shaun Whiteside. In November 2010 the novel was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
.
In an entry on their weblog, Wu Ming wrote that "Manituana was written between 2003 and 2007, and it soaked up all the tensions of that period: S11, the Neoconservative hegemony on US foreign policy, the lies on Saddam allegedly keeping weapons of mass destruction hidden in the desert, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, George W. Bush winning his second term thanks to the Christian right in 2004, Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
conquering the hearts and minds of the majority of Italians etc."
This was acknowledged by many reviewers. Film critic and writer Woody Haut wrote that the novel 'has clear parallels with the war in Iraq, and the pitting of "good" Muslims against "bad" Muslims, just as Native Americans were used during the revolutionary period, only for the colonists to exploit and devastate both groups.'
Reviewing Manituana on CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
, Ron Jacobs recognized "a mirror of this situation in today's manipulations of the indigenous peoples in the lands the west wants as its own today: the Shia vs. Sunni conflict in Iraq and the manipulation of tribal conflicts in Afghanistan are but two examples that come immediately to mind. Manituana evokes the dangerous conceit of men who believe it is their destiny to rule the world.
British newspaper The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
wrote
The French newspaper Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
wrote that in Manituana "history is never simple nor reducible to pre-fixed schemes... Reality is much more complex and tangled, and every character has gloomy facets, weaknesses and contradictions. No-one is neither completely innocent nor completely guilty, and one's legitimate battle for liberty and independence may bring about the loss of someone else's independence and liberty."
Editions
- Italian: Einaudi, 2007, ISBN 88-0618-584-5
- Italian: Einaudi SuperET (paperback), 2009, ISBN 88-0619-637-5
- English: Verso, 2009, ISBN 18-4467-342-1
- French: Métailié, 2009, ISBN 28-6424-688-0
- Spanish: Mondadori, 2009, ISBN 84-3972-185-4
External links
- Official website (multilingual).
- Wu Ming's weblog in English.