Return to Paradise is a collection of short stories written by American author James A. Michener

James A. Michener

James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...

. The collection is a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947.-1910s:...

-winning book Tales of the South Pacific

Tales of the South Pacific

Tales of the South Pacific is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book, which is a collection of sequentially related short stories about World War II, written by James A. Michener in 1946 and published in 1947...

, the collection that launched his career in 1947. In Return to Paradise, Michener revisits the islands and cultures of the South Pacific in the late 1940's, combining factual descriptions and tales set in such exotic places as Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia.

Contents

"The Mighty Ocean"
"The Atoll"
"Mr.Morgan"
"Polynesia"
"Povenaa's Daughter"
"Fiji"
"The Mynah Birds"
"Guadalcanal"
"The Story"
"Espiritu Santo"
"The Good Life"
"New Zealand"
"Until They Sail"
"Australia"
"The Jungle"
"New Guinea"
"The Fossickers"
"Rabaul"
"What I Learned"

Film adaptations

The story "Mr. Morgan" from Return to Paradise was made into a film of the same name

Return to Paradise (1953 film)

Return to Paradise is a South Seas drama film released by United Artists in 1953. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Gary Cooper, Barry Jones, and Roberta Haynes. It was based on a short story Mr. Morgan by James Michener in his short story collection Return to Paradise, his sequel to...

 in 1953 by United Artists

United Artists

United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....

. Starring Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper

Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...

 and Roberta Haynes, it was directed by Mark Robson

Mark Robson

Mark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...

, who also brought The Bridges at Toko-Ri

The Bridges at Toko-Ri (novel)

The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a novella by American author James A. Michener. The book details the experiences of American fighter pilots in the Korean War as they undertake a mission to destroy heavily protected supply bridges in enemy territory...

, another Michener book, to screen

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a 1954 film based on a novel by James Michener about a naval aviator assigned to bomb a group of heavily defended bridges during the Korean War. It was made into a motion picture by Paramount Pictures and won the Special Effects Oscar at the 28th Academy Awards...

 one year later.

The story "Until They Sail" was filmed in 1957 as Until They Sail

Until They Sail

Until They Sail is a 1957 American black and white CinemaScope drama film directed by Robert Wise. The screenplay by Robert Anderson, based on a story by James A. Michener included in his 1951 anthology Return to Paradise, focuses on four New Zealand sisters and their relationships with U.S...

with Paul Newman

Paul Newman

Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...

 and Jean Simmons

Jean Simmons

Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...

 and was directed by Robert Wise

Robert Wise

Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...

.