This is the first translation into English of Les Immémoriaux, which depicts the rapid demise of the old Tahitian culture following the first contacts with European explorers. Based on extensive documentation, it is now seen as one of the earliest ethnographic novels, which cannot fail to appeal to readers who are keen on experiencing another vision of life.
Written in 1907 but set a century earlier, and only now translated into English, Segalen's novel A Lapse of Memory (Les Immémoriaux) depicts the destruction of traditional religion in Tahiti with the advent of Christianity. Writing at a time when blinkered stereotypes of the primitive were still rampant, Segalen displays a remarkable sensitivity and feeling for Tahitian culture.