This Month's New Reading

left or Right on the Left Bank

Cond [?] by .

VIRTUALLY everything that can be said in praise of The Mandarins (Simone de Beauvoir), has been said; It is a British Book Society recommendation; a French Prix Goncourt winner; in America it is alleged to have been “the most talked-about book of the season.

It was praised by reviewers m publications as far removed from one another as the New York Times and the New Yorker.

In view of the weight of opinion of all that talent, no one is likely to be impressed when this reviewer contributes her two cents’ worth and admits to finding the novel more than somewhat bewildering; attunes tedious, and the multiplicity of characters at all times confusing.

It would have been an asset to have a list of characters in the front of the book for easy reference.

Most of the story takes place in Paris, directly after the liberation at the end of 1944, but there are side excursions by some of the main characters to America, Portugal, etc.

The characters are Left Bank intellectuals, most of whom were concerned in one way and another with the Resistance. The story it self concerns the aftermath of the Resistance: the treatment of collab orators, the struggles of the char acters as they are pulled this way and that, towards the political Left or to the political Right, delicately sidestepping outright Communism or outright Fascism. As this phase of French life in World War II is little known and less understood in this part of the world, this aspect of the novel fails to make as much sense as it no doubt should to the Australasian reader. It is evident that de Beauvoir has based her story on real happenings; and her char acters, most likely, on real people.

Inter-twined in this mesh of political intrigue, is a bed-to-bed description of the main characters sex-life. But as sexual -intercourse is regarded about as seriously as the taking of a cup of coffee (and is a great deal easier to come by than coffee in the Resistance and post-Resistance periods) even this angle of the novel loses all signific ance.

Main characters are Henri, a young novelist and journalist; Paula, who had been his mistress for many years; Robert a philosopher and writer; his psycho-analyst wife, Anna, and their 18-years-old daughter, Nadine, who had been soured by the fact that her lover had been killed by the Germans.

This is a sample of a conversation between Anna and Paula ; PAULA: Who is Nadine sleeping with now?

ANNA; Just now, I really * believe that she is sleeping anyone.

PAULA; Nadine? You must at that’s strange. . . Does she goc with Henri?

ANNA; I told you we’d bn with Henri, PAULA; Then according to Nadine doesn’t see Henri any no

Anna: No.

PAULA: She never loved himi she?

Anna: No.

PAULA: Then why did she g Portugal with him?

ANNA: You know very well she went. She thought it woul fun having an affair with him, primarily she wanted to travel PAULA; You haven’t been s; ing with Robert for a long have you?

ANNA: A very long time.

PAULA: And you never hadl lovers?

ANNA: Occasionally. ... A unimportant affairs.

PAULA: And are you having now?

ANNA: I am having a very portant affair, in America. W:' writer.

PAULA; America! That’s away. I mean in France . . . C Let’s put an end to this game know very well that I know you are sleeping with Henr want you to tell me when it bi ANNA (apparently in some lu Look. . . Nadine’s the one who with Henri. Not me.

However, in spite of this cat attitude to tender passion, son the characters so far forget t: selves as to think they are “in !

But as it inevitably tires or the recipient, these exercises completely unrewarding.

It could be that this novel ha something in translation. Excel the passages narrated by Am the first person, it is not free-flo but jerks along in a fashionj may be considered clever, br irritating to the lazy reader.

It is possible also, that we: Down Under are lacking in of our departments. Here it iii cessary for a journalist only to: member of the AJA and to a 40-hour week. It is not 8 necessary to strike a blow dom, or to comfort one’s psycl; sleeping with a different p® every night.

Here is one member of] fraternity who is profoundly grs So fatiguing. (Published by Collins. Australian 22/6.) ...

(Continued on Page 86)

he station manager was not / pleased to see him. His first was off-sider to the tinsmith, nng 10,000-gallon water tanks, second job was off-sider to the ocky. he bullocky was also the mule er, and Upfield became his off r in this profession, also, cart the wool from the station to ten Hill. was during this period that r came across the bogged bullock gon in the coarse sand of a r crossing. There were 28 Dcks, and the table top, fully ed with wool bales, was bogged he axles. It was also reported the creek was about to run. le muleteers and the bullockies erred and the upshot of this that the mules were hitched he bullocks —54 animals in a >le line. hips were discarded for long iled shovels. The drivers essed themselves to their teams signal was given and four men to with their shovels. The icks and mules did their best.

Ling happened. ave to unload” said the teers. ot on your life,” said the boss cky, “you unhitch and get your gon across Them bloody cks stays with my waggon and 5 her out if they have to stay i for a twelve month. They

can drown and the wool can float down the creek, but I’m not un loading and loading up again.”

A team of camel drivers arrived.

They suggested they hitch their camels ahead of the mules, “make or bust.”

The 30 camels were hitched on ahead of the mules —84 animals.

The men went to work with their shovels, the bullocks, mules and camels strained, some going down

on their knees. Suddenly they lurched forward —but all they had succeeded in doing was to drag the front pole out of the waggon, which remained bogged.

Even a bullocky can recognise defeat. It took him three days to unload, repair the waggon, load again. The creek did not come down.

Upheld had written two novels (unpublished) as a youth. It was

until 1926 that he tried his hand in. By this time he was cook Wheeler’s Well, an outstation of ;marle Station. It was here he te a mystery that was ultimately er much redrafting and rewrit , published as The Barrakee tery. (The first novel he had ished was the House of Cain ). , 1931, he left the bush for the time to make his living by pen. In the following year he racted to work for the Mel ne Herald —and his first assign t was to write a series about race-t rack introducing the >ourne Cup. Upfield protested he knew nothing about racing, -tracks or race-horses. His pro were dismissed —the racing rts on the next floor would fix up. Just write a story, and —the Herald’s rival, the Star, shortly to appear and accord o the grapevine, a racing serial to start with the first issue, field stayed with the Herald nonths. One day he met one be directors on the stairway, director slapped him on the and said, “We’re making a journalist out of you!” Three later he was given notice. Such the mysterious ways of great papers. field continued to do work for Herald at the customary 2|d ine.

There is a laugh on every page of this unusual biography—and some of the humour is exceedingly broad.

No Upfield fans should miss this opportunity of observing the raw material of the novels that have presented so well the Australian outback scene—not only for Aus tralians but for readers in the UK, the United States and on the Con tinent. (Published by Wm. Heinemann. Australian price, 22/6.)

After Austen

POSSIBLY it could be given that fateful tag “a woman’s novel” (as it concerns strong men and weak females) this Claire, by Dorothea Malm; however, even a male may trifle away an entertain ing hour or so with it.

The author herself says that it is in the tradition of Jane Eyre.

Possibly, as the central figure is a poor, little governess to the gentry in the days of William IV; and the hero an aristocratic of indigo blood, with a befitting selfishness and the notion that he is first cousin to God.

However, the treatment is modern enough and so far as we know La Austen did not produce heroines who were, even in their less em barrassed periods, demimondaines.

Claire, at the age of 26, tells the story of her life. For convenience it

could be divided into three parts.

First, her childhood in Paris as the beloved only child of intellectuals.

Second, as the 14-years-old orphan who is bundled off to England to become the poorly paid governess of the five repulsive brats of Lady Wichinhood, there to fall in love with the lady’s brother, Charles, to be kicked out because another brother fell in love with her; and to become a lady of the streets.

Third, Claire’s sturdy French com monsense and strength of character emerging, as she puts the bright lights behind her, returns to the respectable life of governessing in which capacity she again is drawn into the orbit of the Lady, her brats and her brother. (Over)

But this time it is Claire who presents the icicle front; Charles emotion. Charles’ ego finally de livers him into her hands, but whether Claire has not also de livered herself into the hands of Charles remains an unresolved ques tion at the end of the book.

An interesting enough character study of not altogether orthodox characters even for that rum bustuous period. (Published by Peter Davies, Ltd. Australian price, 18/9.)

Sex in the Sac-Sac

NO matter if the natives of the NG Highlands do not have sago palms, the title is a good piece of alliteration, and this is not the only way in which normal life in the Highlands differs from that in Kundu, a novel by Morris L. West.

The author has flung into it every ingredient in the New Guinea kitchen —migrant doctors, frustrated District Services personnel, Can berra’s sensitivity towards United Nations opinion, native superstition and unusual sex practices, sorcery, missionary influence and as mixed a bag of characters as ever decor ated any novel. The result is a stew that is easy for the average reader to swallow, eagerly; and near enough to the borders of possibility to be palatable even for Territorians

—not the easiest audience to please.

The shock, of course, is that it is about the Highlands of New Guinea —and not about tropical Africa or the Indies —novels about which have been tickling the senses for a century or more.

The story concerns Kurt Sondefeld

and the beautiful Gerda, whoc in a German concentration and contracted a marriage of venience. Out of convenient, born hate, and the people eacl: tract provide the opposing ( acters in the story. Kurt me in ancient native culture;

da attracts lovers from amongst local European community. To icr they produce a mixture of i a high flash-point that Church State, in the persons of a ich priest, a Patrol-Officer and \.DO have to do some high and y stepping to bring the story to iccessful conclusion, irt of Kurt’s meddling in native ire includes N’Daria, who if we believe the coloured dust-jacket the narrative, is a smouldering y Venus, who breaks into flame he first puff of breath, le coloured dust jacket is worth sthing for itself. The artist has is head go to produce a N’Daria iale bronze, plus bikini, bunch jathers and a string of beads, is calculated to make young ralia’s motto for the coming >n be: Go North Young Man, forth. ere is material for a thousand Is in New Guinea, yet while Is about other tropical areas still from the presses, this field re s virtually untouched. In his first r into the Highlands, West has very well. The characterisation od, the style easy, and the back id no larger than life than re d in a competent novel.

VI reviewed another of Morris L. ’s novels a couple of years ago, rws On the Sand. This story serialised by the ABC; however, mt contravening the by-laws le Purity League, we do not : that the ABC will be able to it the performance with Kundu. lished by Angus and Robertson, Ltd. ian price, 16/-.)

McLaren

e War

JR or five years ago your re iewer was marooned for a few ays in Mrs. Pitt’s guest-house >roka, in the NG Eastern High , waiting for a plane. This was e the establishment had been ded and turned into a hotel. It inducted in one small bunga md there was no spare room, at when the food was removed the table each night, we just n, and talked, elbows propped le table. d other guests at the table were ung agricultural officer from Methodist Mission at Mendi; a lean, angular fellow of no ;ular beauty, who was a vet ry officer in the Administra- He was a friendly soul this . Kindly, you would probably Certainly, you would not cast for the part of ruthless, re ss heroism. How far from the a casual observer can be. explain his Scots accent, which .s thick as a peat bog, he said ame was Jock Kerr McLaren. ;onversation was usually about

ands (New Guinea variety),

ilture, or cattle—or the vexed on of sheep. But one night

we worked around to operations— or rather emergencies in strange places. Perhaps we had been discussing the doctor who had, about that time, gone to the Antarctic with an expedition, developed appendi citis, and was removed at consider able trouble and expense. McLaren said then that he had once operated on himself for appendicitis, and the company, naturally incredulous, asked where and how.

It was in the Philippines during the war when McLaren was fighting with the guerillas. He told us the story of the operation, and a few other disjointed details of his ad ventures during that period. Suf ficient to whet the appetite for more—and nothing else.

I saw McLaren only once again— for a moment about a year later in Lae. Jock was in town celebrating, and in no mood for war-time reminiscence. So last year when I learned that he had been killed, I cursed. Firstly, because it seemed absurd that a man who had lived so long on the brink of disaster and survived, should have been killed a few yards from his own house when old dead timber elected to fall at the moment he was beneath; and secondly, because I thought that another angle on the Pacific war had been lost for good.

So I was agreeably surprised v/hen recently along came a book, One Man War, by a Melbourne journalist, Hal Richardson. Richard

had met McLaren, and in New nea not long before his death, I got from him the whole story lis activities between the fall of japore in 1942 and the Japanese ender in 1945. his story of McLaren’s war tells is escape with two others shortly r the survivors from Australia’s ith Division found themselves in ngi prison camp in February, . This particular piece of free t lasted into April, when they ‘ betrayed by Malays (it was the ays who were treacherous, the lese who co-operated) and they nately found themselves back in agl. McLaren’s interest in escape persisted in spite of their ex jnces, but his two companions had enough. When months later, second opportunity presented f, McLaren had two other Aus an companions, early 1943, a contingent of Aus ans was shipped away from igi to Borneo, where it was ned to construct a aerodrome Sandakan. McLaren saw to it he was in this party and he idered it a lucky break when as landed at Berhala, an island landakan, to cut timber for the i camp. l Berhala was a leper colony, the lepers had a dug-out which aren marked down for his own. nth and west from the large

Philippines island of Mindanao runs a chain of smaller islands extending to the easternmost tip of Borneo.

It was McLaren’s idea to follow these islands and to join up with the guerillas fighting the Japs in the Philippines.

With him would go two com panions, Jim Kennedy and Rex Butler. Destination was Tawi Tawi.

To get there, the three men had first to escape from their Japanese guards, take the dug-out from the protesting lepers, paddle 160 miles around the north coast of Borneo to the jumping-off place for the string of islands and then accom plish 20 hours of hard paddling in the open sea.

But even this apparently im possible task was completed and the three Australians, worn to the point of exhaustion, landed in Philippines territory. It is from this point that McLaren’s fabulous, one man war began. (Published by Angus and Robertson, Ltd.

Australian price, 16/-.)

Roundup of Australian

Photography

OUR copy of Australian Photo graphy, 1957, in spite of an error in collating the pages, is a magnificent glossy production which

should be of considerable interest to all photographers—which means almost everyone these days.

About 1,200 photographs were sub mitted to the publishers by the

various photographic organisations

of Australia and a selection com mittee chose from these 150 black and white and coloured photographs which have been used in the pro duction. The result is a triumph for photographic art—and also for the process-engraving and printing trades. (Published by Oswald Ziegler Publications pty.. Ltd., and distributed by Angus and Robertson, Ltd. Australian price, 30/-.)

Growing Up in

Sweden

AN extraordinary biographical

novel by Swedish writer Vilhelm Morberg will give most people a fresh slant on a Sweden which most of us have been instructed to be lieve to be a model of social democracy, abundant and vitamin enriched food, modern architecture and functional furniture.

When I was a Child describes the life of an extremely poor soldier’s family in the Sweden of the 80’s and 90’s, and early 20th century.

The story is told by Valter, the seventh child of the family and the life he describes is as primitive as

that we might more rightly expect amongst the people of the Gobi desert. It seems that Sweden has caught up in vast leaps in the last half century.

It is a simple account of life in the soldier’s family as the sons grow up and migrate for that heaven-on-earth, the United States of America, via the services of the

“White Star Line—the Favoc Line of the Swedes.” It is tol the austere manner which for in a while, appears to have: nothing by its translation into lish. The climax of the stoi 'Valter’s problem of whethei migrate or stay at home. (Published by Wm. Heinemann, Ltd., tralian price, 22/6.)

>ted and Tried

Paper Books

[E reprint book of the Penguin

type has been with us for a long time but never has it en d such a cult as in the last few •s. ne reason for the present ilarity of the paner-covered re t is economic. Before the war ■st edition novel could be bought under 10/-. All bound books to cost real monev. A paper re t is only a fraction of that cost iddition, each has been tested tried. Few of these reprints “duds” on the score of popular sal. 5 have received 18 of these small :s this month, all from Wm. ns (Overseas) Ltd., and all of i should be soon available at

local bookshop.

variety they stretch from in welfare to thrillers: include s on personal adventure, animal

es, marriage guidance, scientific

pledge, romance and crime, ■e are too many of them to give a full review but here is an ne:

Comet Books:

is a new Collins paper-book line which in Australia for 3/6. The subiects are lotions to human knowledge written in ge that the layman can understand, five titles available are— ERT SCHWEITZER: A study of the oreat mher. missionary, doctor and musician as chosen to live his life in Equatorial helping the natives, but whose influence n world-wide. Written by a friend of tier's, J. Feschotte.

Universe And Dr. Einstein: Most

know one thing about Dr. Einstein— e propounded a "Theory of Relativity". ;w have any idea that the theory is ig but a profound exercise in the plane intellect or that it has practical apolica ) the scientific knowledge of our times.

Barnett explains the relation of the to time, space and matter.

EISENHOWER BROTHERS: Bela Kornitzer es the five one dead Fisen brothers, not as a background to nt Dwight, but simoly as an examole ' members of a humble American familv spire to and achieve success and ful * BABY: A handbook of pre-natal and :are from the moment of conception to Fant is two years old. A practical and nsense guide, setting out in clear je the A to Z of parenthood.

IE TO THE MOON: As entertaining as any fiction this interesting summary of jsent knowledge of the moon in relation solar system and setting out what the tyagers to the moon mav expect to find ival. Author Patrick Moore, ERAS, be that within the next century man will to the moon, and that even before man gets there, man-made satellites will cameras right around the moon thus us a clearer picture of lunar affairs.

Pan Books:

releases in Pan, Great Pan and Giant toks are— SOLOMON'S RING: Legend has it that olomon had a magic gift of being able

to talk with animals. Konrad Z. Lorenz, the author of this book also has a gift of understanding animals and birds and he has set out his experiences in an entertaining book which he has illustrated with his own amusing drawm9S ‘ NO ARMS NO ARMOUR; This novel, by wellknown Robert Henriques, was first published in 1939 and is a story of soldiering between the wars when the people who ran the army still had their minds in the past, and war in the desert was conducted on horseback.

Tubby Windrush, a typical product of the professional army system is sent to the Sudan to help quell a native rising. But something happens to Windrush and the story is largely an account of his disillusionment with the established order. 4,000 YEARS UNDER THE SEA; Those who are interested in aqualunging or underwater exploration generally; or those who are interested only in reading about it, will find Phillipe Diole's second book on the subject well up to the standard of the first (The Undersea Adventure). This time Diole tells of the pursuit of undersea archaeology and

diving experiences off the North African and Southern French coasts looking for specimens of ancient Roman sculpture, architecture and art. It should interest the amateur archaeologist as well as the free-diving addict.

POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY: Men who served in the Western Desert during the Second World War may have heard of the famous Popski— real name, Vladimir Peniakoff, Belgium-born Russian who set up business as a sugar manu facturer in Cairo between the wars, and during No. II got permission to raise a small desert force which became known as Popski's Private Army. What the coastwatchers and guerilla fighters were to the war in the Pacific, Popski was to the war in North Africa and Italy, sometimes operating miles behind the enemy lines, engaging in sabotage and relaying intelligence, THE JURY; This story by Gerald Bui left achieved wide acclaim when it was first pub lished by J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd., in the 30's and the interest was revived when a film based on the story (called "The Last Man to Hang") was produced last year. (Probably not released in Australia yet). The story is

irily a psychological one—portraying the cters not only of the murder victim and iccused but also that of members of the which must sit in judgment. One hesitates ill this book a thriller—yet it combines rell-sostained suspence of a good detective with insight into the human mind.

IMP ROYAL; Written at the age of 60 by lichael Bruce, 11th Baronet of Stenhouse lirth, describing a life of adventure from the moment he shot an escaping criminal ith Africa at the age of 17. In between he had had adventures in Brazil and up mazon, and in 1938 began to rescue Jews the clutches of Hitler.

N FOR SACRIFICE: Madelaine was the lame of the British agent who was shot s Germans in Dachau in 1944. Her real was Noor Inayat Kahn, daughter of an mystic and an American mother. She sen born in Russia, brought up in France ir whole background had been peace. But ent to England in 1940 and joined the and later volunteered to return to France ■adio operator. This story is written by Jverton Fuller, a close friend of Made ■ AND MARRIAGE: Dr. Eustace Chesser, own British authority on marriage :e and sex-education tells you how to i success of your marriage—treating sex y one of the thorny problems of holy

Fontana Books:

four Fontana books received cover the irners of the globe.

I THE MEDITERRANEAN; A newcomer Emmanuel Robles, born in Algeria, writes of Sardinia in "Dawn in Our Darkness", he village doctor is faced with the not problem (for fictional doctors) of j between a life of service to his

poor patients and a life of affluence provided by the influence of a wealthy wife. However, more than this choice troubles the doctor— there is his mistress, Clara, and the peasant who has murdered his brutal employer. Robles is regarded as a French colonial who has made an important contribution to French literature.

FROM AMERICA: The title of this one, "Rogue Cop", adequately describes this par ticular opus of prolific crime-writer William McGivern. It has all the usual trimmings of American crime-busters. Judging by the books that are written on the subject, one must come to the conclusion that there are as many crooks in the various State and city police departments in the USA, as out of them. This particular story has been made into a film starring Robert Taylor and George Raft.

IN THE PACIFIC: "Pitcairn's Island" is the last of the triology written by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall to be published by Fontana. (The other two were of course, "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Men Against the Sea"). Fontana readers will be glad to add the last of the set to their collections.

Its contents are too well known to need description here.

IN ENGLAND; "Vittoria Cottage" is another story of an English family by Dorothy Emily Stevenson whose other books (including "Miss Bun the Baker's Daughter") are well known.

The novel takes its name from the house where succeeding generations of Derings had lived since it was built at the end of the Napoleonic wars. Trimmed and added to by succeeding generations, it eventually came into the possession of Caroline Dering whose twin interests are her garden and the life of the village. (Australian prices of Comet books, 3/6; Fontana books, 3/-; Pan books, 3/-; Great Pan, 3/6; Giant Pan, 5/-.)

Also Received:

The Happy Grotto: A

journalist’s account of the miracles at Lourdes, by Fulton Oursler, who has written many other books of a religious nature.

A Carpet Of Flowers: A

story of a small boy and dog in Mexico, with a strong religious flavour. A suitable gift-book for a Roman Catholic child. Both are published by World’s Work (1913) Ltd. —a publishing house specialis ing in religious books. t A new native maternity clinic which is to be used for a training centre for native maternity sisters was opened at Dagua, about 35 miles along the coast from Wewak, New Guinea, on Easter Sunday. The hospital, which has 12 beds, is staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Ghost and funds for the building were contributed mainly by friends in America.