The Sex Lives of Cannibals
Encyclopedia
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific is a 2004
travelogue
by author J. Maarten Troost
describing the two years he and his girlfriend spent living on the Tarawa atoll
in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati
. In the book Troost describes how he came to discover that the tiny sliver of land in the South Pacific, barely known to the outside world, was not the tropical paradise he thought it would be. Nevertheless, he and his girlfriend Sylvia built a home for themselves in Kiribati, alongside a host of colorful local characters, all the while having new encounters with the bizarre and unfamiliar.
In those two years, he learned to overcome the dearth of practically all food except fish
("raw or boiled"), the extreme heat (only Mormon
missionaries wore pants), and a lethargic government he describes as "coconut
Stalinism
"—"though Stalin
, at least, got something done." He meets the poet laureate
, a twenty-one-year-old Englishman who hasn't written a poem since arriving on the island and can't pronounce the name of the country he's in, and survives the "Great Beer
Crisis," when the Australia
n supply ship went to Kiritimati
Island instead of Tarawa, thus failing to provide the island with much needed beer. He copes with frequent electrical and water shortages, and struggles to get a subscription to The New Yorker
from a hapless operator, who insists that his phone number needs more digits ("Um, I don't have more numbers") and his street needs a name ("There are no street names. There's only one street here.").
At the same time, Troost also challenges American
complacency toward its own history, by doing so little to remember the many troops that died in the Battle of Tarawa
during World War II
, and the many foreign aid workers and consultants, who fail to consider the islanders' real needs or local culture.
This book was followed up by Getting Stoned with Savages
(2006), the further adventures of J. Maarten Troost and his wife, Sylvia.
2004 in literature
The year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
travelogue
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
by author J. Maarten Troost
J. Maarten Troost
J. Maarten Troost is the author of three books about his experiences in the Pacific Islands and 3-month trip to China. Troost writes about the part of his life spent in the South Pacific in Getting Stoned with Savages and The Sex Lives of Cannibals -- and one on a trip to China: Lost on Planet...
describing the two years he and his girlfriend spent living on the Tarawa atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
. In the book Troost describes how he came to discover that the tiny sliver of land in the South Pacific, barely known to the outside world, was not the tropical paradise he thought it would be. Nevertheless, he and his girlfriend Sylvia built a home for themselves in Kiribati, alongside a host of colorful local characters, all the while having new encounters with the bizarre and unfamiliar.
In those two years, he learned to overcome the dearth of practically all food except fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
("raw or boiled"), the extreme heat (only Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
missionaries wore pants), and a lethargic government he describes as "coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
"—"though Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, at least, got something done." He meets the poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
, a twenty-one-year-old Englishman who hasn't written a poem since arriving on the island and can't pronounce the name of the country he's in, and survives the "Great Beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
Crisis," when the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n supply ship went to Kiritimati
Kiritimati
Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands, and part of the Republic of Kiribati....
Island instead of Tarawa, thus failing to provide the island with much needed beer. He copes with frequent electrical and water shortages, and struggles to get a subscription to The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
from a hapless operator, who insists that his phone number needs more digits ("Um, I don't have more numbers") and his street needs a name ("There are no street names. There's only one street here.").
At the same time, Troost also challenges American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
complacency toward its own history, by doing so little to remember the many troops that died in the Battle of Tarawa
Battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa, code named Operation Galvanic, was a battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II, largely fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It was the first American offensive in the critical central Pacific region....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the many foreign aid workers and consultants, who fail to consider the islanders' real needs or local culture.
This book was followed up by Getting Stoned with Savages
Getting Stoned with Savages
Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu is a 2007 travelog by J. Maarten Troost. The book is a humorous account of the author and his wife's time on the Pacific island nations of Vanuatu and Fiji. It is a follow-up to Troost's first work The Sex Lives of...
(2006), the further adventures of J. Maarten Troost and his wife, Sylvia.