Foster's Letter Of Marque (eBook)

Louis Becke, born George Lewis Becke in 1855, was a notable Australian Pacific trader, short-story writer, and novelist, whose literary works provided vivid accounts of life and adventure in the South Pacific. Becke's firsthand experience as a wanderer and his intimate knowledge of the islands and their inhabitants became the inspiration for his writing. His oeuvre often reflects the picturesque but perilous tropical landscape and the complex interplay between colonialists, traders, and indigeneous people. Notably, his work, 'Foster's Letter Of Marque,' is a fine example of his maritime tales that are rich with detail and authenticity, having been heavily influenced by Becke's time spent among sailors and islanders. Becke's literary style is characterized by an engaging narrative voice and a penchant for blending adventure with a keen observation of human nature, much in the vein of Robert Louis Stevenson, whom Becke both admired and was compared to. Despite his massive output, including over thirty books and numerous short stories and articles, Becke's name is not as well-remembered today as some of his contemporaries. Becke passed away in 1913, but he left behind a substantial body of work that continues to offer valuable insights into the Pacific life of the colonial era and remains of interest to scholars of colonial and post-colonial literature as well as enthusiasts of maritime fiction.