In the distant future, Earthlings establish New Tahiti, a military-style colony, on the lush planet Athse, with the aim of systematically logging it, as Earth's timber is now a commodity in decline.
The indigenous inhabitants, a peaceful people without technological achievements and in complete harmony with nature, are enslaved by the colonizers, who treat them brutally, forcing them to work hard in the deforestation of Athse's forests.
When Captain Davidson, commander of the Smith camp, rapes and kills the wife of the indigenous Selver, no one expects the aggressive reaction of the Athsian; not even Captain Raz Lyubov, the colony's anthropologist tasked with documenting and understanding Athsian culture and a close friend of Selver.
However, the consequences of this event will soon prove to be more serious: will the Athsians ever be the same again? They will have been infused with the culture of the Earthlings through the act of murder.
The Word for World is Forest is released in a new translation in Greek. A work of deep ecological sensitivity, it was born from a time when the author lived in London and was actively engaged in activism. It has been noted that the book possibly inspired the idea for the screenplay of James Cameron's film Avatar.
The author has pointed out the critical nature of the book against militarism and mass violence, distinguishing it from the film's screenplay. The book was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1973.
