Hunter with Harpoon

By Markoosie and Markoosie Patsauq

Book Overview

Published fifty years ago under the title Harpoon of the Hunter, Markoosie Patsauq's novel helped establish the genre of Indigenous fiction in Canada. This new English translation unfolds the story of Kamik, a young hero who comes to manhood while on a perilous hunt for a wounded polar bear. In this astonishing tale of a people struggling for survival in a brutal environment, Patsauq describes a life in the Canadian Arctic as one that is reliant on cooperation and vigilance. In collaboration with the author, Valerie Henitiuk and Marc-Antoine Mahieu return to the original Inuktitut text to provide English readers with a more accurate translation. With a preface by Patsauq and an afterword from the translators, this edition offers a fresh and contextualized interpretation of a cultural milestone. Whether revisiting this classic or discovering it for the first time, readers will find in Hunter with Harpoon a sophisticated coming-of-age tale illustrating a way of life not as it appeared to southerners, but as it has survived in the memory of the Inuit themselves.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0228004020
• ISBN13: 9780228004028
• Release Date: November 2020
• Publisher: Mqup
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.9" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully written, which older readers may appreciate...

I read "Harpoon of the Hunter" for a children's literature class, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's not a book that I would recommend to younger readers- not only because it really communicates in a strong, vivid manner the harshness and danger of Kamik's world, but also because there's a complexity to the way it deals with the themes of struggle and survival. The ending especially invites meaningful discussion, something that older readers may find more interesting. Mostly, however, the real treasure about the book, and what ultimately makes it satisfying, is how it is written. Plain, bare, simple words and style are appropriately chosen to convey the harsh, elemental nature of Kamik's struggle and world. In this way, Markoosie has written a book rich in atmosphere.

Grim tale of survival in a harsh environment.

While I think this was a good book, I would caution people to read it before choosing it for young children. It is a realistic portrayal of life, and death, in an arctic environment. There are a number of fairly graphic descriptions of people and animals dying and a general attitude of despair. However, it is an authentic piece of Eskimo fiction describing life in the Canadian Arctic before the coming of the white man. I would recommend this book to people who want a more realistic depiction of life than what Disney provides.