Paul Gauguin fled what he called "filthy Europe" in 1891 to what he hoped would be an unspoiled paradise, Tahiti. He painted 66 magnificent can vases during the first two years he spent there and kept notes from which he later wrote Noa Noa — a journal recording his thoughts and impressions of that time.

Noa Noa — the most widely known of Gauguin's writings — is reproduced here from a rare early edition (1919), in a lucid translation capturing the artist's unpretentious style. Page after page reveals Gauguin's keen observations of Tahiti and its people, and his passionate struggle to achieve the inner harmony he expressed so profoundly on canvas. Gauguin's prose is as seductive as his paintings, filled with descriptions of warm seas, hidden lagoons, lush green forests, and beautiful Maori women.

The journal is captivating reading, offering a compelling autobiographical fragment of the soul of a genius and a rare glimpse of Oceanian culture. The brief periods of happiness Gauguin found among the Tahitians are eloquently expressed in his narrative. We understand the motives that drove him and gain a deeper appreciation of his art.

Today the manuscript provides unparalleled insight into Gauguin's thoughts as he strove to achieve spiritual peace, and into the wellsprings of a singular artistic style which changed the course of modern art. This wonderfully affordable edition — enhanced by 24 of Gauguin's South Seas drawings — makes a unique and passionate testament accessible to all art lover

保羅·高更（Paul Gauguin，1848—1903）

法國後印象派畫傢、雕塑傢、陶藝傢及版畫傢，現代藝術的奠基人之一，擁有個性高飚、感情摯烈的一生，以火一樣的熱情投身藝術並為此殉道。

高更在異域的原始之美中收獲瞭靈感，他的畫具有色彩艷麗、對比強烈、平麵化的裝飾性效果，與梵高、塞尚並稱為後印象派三大巨匠，並且對現當代繪畫的發展有著非常深遠的影響。英國著名作傢毛姆曾以高更為原型寫過一部著名的小說《月亮與六便士》。