author
S. N. Haleole
A leading Native Hawaiian writer and historian of the Kingdom of Hawaii, he is best remembered for The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai, widely noted as the first fictional work of literature by a Native Hawaiian. His writing helped preserve Hawaiian storytelling traditions in print at a turning point in the islands' history.
1 Audiobook
The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai
by S. N. Haleole
About the author
Born around 1819 and dying on October 22, 1866, S. N. Haleole was a Native Hawaiian writer and historian associated with the Kingdom of Hawaii. He is most closely linked with The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai, a landmark work that brought Hawaiian narrative tradition into written literary form.
Haleole's importance comes not only from being an early novelist, but from the way his work carries older moolelo and cultural memory into print. That gives his writing a special place for readers interested in Hawaiian literature, oral tradition, and the history of Indigenous storytelling.
Because surviving biographical details are limited, he is often known today mainly through his writing rather than through a full personal record. Even so, his reputation remains strong: he is widely recognized as one of the key early figures in Native Hawaiian literature.