THE WORD FOR THE WORLD IS FORREST

In the distant future, people from Earth found New Tahiti, a military-style colony on the verdant planet of Athse, with the aim of systematically logging it, as the Earth’s timber is now an almost depleted commodity. The indigenous inhabitants, a peaceful people without technological achievements, living in perfect harmony with nature, are enslaved by the colonists, who treat them brutally, forcing them to work hard to clear the forests of Athse.

When Captain Davidson, commander of the Smith camp, rapes and kills the wife of the native Selver, no one expects the Athsean’s aggressive reaction; not even Captain Raj Lyubov, the colony’s anthropologist, charged with recording and understanding Athsean culture, and Selver’s close friend. The consequences of this incident will soon prove to be more severe: the Athseans will never be the same again; they will have been inoculated with Earth’s culture through the act of murder.

A work of profound ecological sensitivity, it was the fruit of a time when the author lived in London and was a devoted activist.  It has been noted that the book probably inspired the idea behind the screenplay of J. Cameron’s “Avatar” movie. The author has pointed out the critical character of the book towards militarism and mass violence, separating it from the film’s script. The book won the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Novel.