Albert Wendt is the author of six novels, three collections of short stories, four volumes of poetry and a play. Leaves
of the Banyan Tree won the New Zealand Wattie Book of the Year Award, and is considered a classic of Pacific literature. His work has been translated into many languages. Recent books include Sons
for the Return Home and his newest landmark novel The Mango's Kiss which was eighteen years in the making. His most recent book of poetry, The
Book of the Black Star, combines words and images in short poems, drawing on Samoan language and myth, on dreams and memoires, as well as one the daily life of the poet. His play The
Songmaker's Chair was a highlight of the first Auckland International Arts Festival.
As well as being the pioneer of Pacific writing, he is a mentor to many writers, and has been responsible for anthologizing the literature of the region.
Recent honors include New Zealand's Senior Pacific Islands Artist's Award, Japan's Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture, the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature, and New Zealand's Montana national book award for the anthology he co-edited, Whetu Moana. He is the Citizens' Chair within the Department of English at UH Manoa, beginning in August, 2004.