From the heart of Matane

There is a simple sincerity about the writing of Paulias Matane which I find most appealing, and which is, 1 think, of greater value in establish ing a truly New Guinean literature than is the self-conscious material so much of which is being produced under the tutelage of one mentor or another.

Paulias Matane does not, it seems to me, write for the sake of writing but because he has something to say.

It is because of this that there are no forced purple passages, no intro verted contemplation of his glandular structure, and that what he says is said straight in the most powerful language of all: from the heart in simple sentence structures and in a vocabulary easily understood by any reader. I truly enjoyed reading Aimbe, The Challenger, We might well say, “Matane has done it again!” And, I hope, this is not the last time we will hear from him.

The locale is unidentified, but it could be New Britain.

Of course, the fact that he writes in his introduction “Here I trace the life of a fictitious young boy” does not stop the reader from seein- Aimbe as autobiographical (what writing is not?) and that adds to the usefulness of the writing as record of the past and the life of the people among whom Matane was born and brought up. Such records as these are of value in the literature of an emerging people: no personal opinion expressed as incontrovertible fact, no axe to grind, no tirade of hatred against op pressors, but plain observation of facts, and an impression of truthful ness in the telling. It reads easily. It flows smoothly. Is this not what writing should be? Let’s hope Matane will write more for us and that his writing will inspire others to follows his example.

Do not think, however, that Matane has not brought into Aimbe, The Challenger mention of the political and social thinking of the people who pass through his book. He has done so but without rancour. His charac ters emerge as people because he knows them as people and not as vehicles for getting across his private ideas. I should think that Matane possesses the true attributes of a writer, and he, because of his ability to express himself and to make his characters express ideas which are theirs and not merely those of the author put into the mouths of caricatures, he should, as an author, if he wants to, go further. Matane is, in my opinion, at the present moment,

of all those who have come my way, Papua New Guinea’s best writer.

The ending of the book is sad: . . what do you think of the future of this country?” I looked Raka in the face and said dryly, “Listen, Raka, to be quite honest and frank, I do not know. Do you?”

“No, I don’t,” he replied.

Even you dear reader, at 5i.25, can afford to buy Aimbe, The Challenger, and 1 recommend that you do. And you, Paulias, don’t stop here but the sure there are readers waiting for your next book. —Peter Livingston.

(Aimbe, The Challenger, By Paulias

Matane, published by Niugini Press Pty Ltd, PO, Box 3395, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Paperback; 52 pages; $1.25.

Our copy from Jacaranda Press.)

Boat for all seasons

“When I come up for judgment and they stop me at the gate and ask ‘what’s your excuse?’ I’ll tell them I designed the Gloucester Light Dory and they’ll have to let me in!” So says Philip C. Bolger in his book Small Boats.

Whether or not he makes it past the pearly gates or not, Mr Bolger’s breezy presentation makes light and interesting reading of what is normally very intimidating bookmatter.

Bolger’s designs are mostly simple and easy to build, and run the gamut from an 18th-century pinnace to an ocean-going rowboat, various motor designs, keel and centreboard sailing boats and of course many variations of the übiquitous dory theme.

The book is well illustrated with both photographs and drawings and enough detail is supplied to allow the reader to build any of the 31 designs included. One design of parti cular interest is called the Gloucester Yawl and is specifically designed for the youth club of the Outward Bound type. To describe this boat or its rig would be folly on my part; suffice to say that it has three masts, shallow draught and would probably either exhaust its crew in a few hours or build a group of hairy-chested beasties with muscles like canta loupes.

This is the ideal book for a man who wants to build a boat cheaply, but can’t decide what type. He could do much worse than to let Mr Bolger decide for him. His enthusiasm rubs from the book like wet ink. —John Collins. (SMALL BOATS, by Philip G. Bolger, Inter national Marine Publishing Company, 21 Elm Street, Camden, Maine, USA. $U512.50.)