Man Alone

by John Mulgan

Man Alone is one of the foundation stones of New Zealand literature. Almost all copies of the first edition, published in England in 1939, were destroyed in the Blitz. When it was republished in New Zealand in 1949, after the author’s suicide in Cairo in 1945, the publisher Paul’s Book Arcade made a number of changes for unknown reasons. This edition restores John Mulgan’s original text for the first time. Johnson, an English WWI veteran, comes to New Zealand to find a new life. In Auckland he is caught up in the Great Depression riots, and heads south to the central North Island, where he work as a farm hand. An affair with his boss’s wife and the accidental killing of his boss cause him to flee across rough hill country, and by the end of the novel he is contemplating leaving the country to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Man Alone is a portrait of an existential loner, and a testament to the necessity of comradeship in times of hardship. Cover: Selwyn & Blount dustjacket, 1939 (private collection)

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Classics

205 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

John Alan Edward Mulgan was a New Zealand journalist, writer and editor. He was the eldest son of writer and journalist, Alan Edward Mulgan.

Reviews

[Giulia E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man Alone by John Mulgan was definitely one of the few books I have read which focused so intensely on the typically masculine qualities men are said to acquire. In the beginning of the novel we are introduced to Johnson, an English soldier who has survived WW1 and has now settled into Auckland, NZ in midst of the depression. He takes up farming in Waikato and later in the centre of the North island and is also involved in riots over the countries economic situation.

Johnson represents a traditional New Zealander in post-war times, despite being English. He portrays the typical 'loner' quality, men were said to have. He refrained from forming any close bonds and rarely made the effort to meet new people. This was very interesting to me as Johnson essentially became the symbol of Kiwi men "going it alone" to make something of themselves in life. Although Johnson had abstained from forming relationships with men or in this case women he eventually had an affair with his boss's life, which led him to run from the mistakes he had made. This also extenuates the problems women were said to have brought upon and created for men. I thought this was effective of Mulgan as he expressed the qualities of men in contrast to that of women in post-war New Zealand.

I found Man Alone an engaging and informative read. Mulgans portrayal of the life of Johnson and other Kiwi men in post-war NZ was rather depressing but also gave me knowledge of the origin of traditional masculine qualities, portraying men as 'strong silent types'and how the effect of the war and depression influenced these qualities. I highly recommend this novel as it makes both an enjoyable and interesting read.

[Kearney Rhind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this, there's a lot of travelling in this book and it's fun recognizing the places in a novel from experience

[Barnaby Haszard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The comparison with Hemingway in the foreword is apt: Mulgan's prose is clipped and straightforward, sacrificing linguistic flourishes in favour of a strong narrative. And on this evidence, his empathy for women is limited. But what a feat of storytelling: in barely 200 pages, he covers the effect of war on the individual, the Depression-era struggle to survive, the increasingly angry socialist response, a man's relationship with the landscape he inhabits, how our choices shape us, how national ideals and beliefs shape us, the foibles of masculinity and particularly friendship between men... and there are spellbinding stretches of prose, too, particularly the Kaimanawas section, where you can feel the rising damp and taste the bitter tea through his words. It unravels a little in the final pages in Mulgan's quest for resolution where perhaps none was warranted. Still, required reading for any New Zealander.

[Ashley Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read like a Cormac McCarthy novel. Plain writing, set in between the world wars. Man travelling around NZ. Paints a great picture of what life was like back then (as it was written then as well). Touches on unions and the great depression, as well as solitude and community and finding your people. Really good novel to give to your dad who loves Cormac McCarthy, but has read all his books.

[Wilbur Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

lived up to the title

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of masculinity and life in the Great Depression. There’s a dry humour around class conflict that runs through the book. Read in the context of Mulgan’s own life it’s an important clue in understanding Kiwi masculinities both real and imagined.

[Beth Pallister · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️
Such a great book to understand the mind of New Zealanders in the early 1900’s. I loved the story and reading about the adventures of the main character all over the North Island. Learnt a lot about our national identity and what makes our little country tick. Definitely recommend!

[Kristyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall enjoyed the book, though I found it quite hard to follow the story in some parts. Interesting to learn about new zealand from the authors perspective particularly so long ago and how some people perceived the country post war.

[Bronwen Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel of it's time - written in 1939 by New Zealander John Mulgan, during his time in England, but set in New Zealand. It is a dry, cold story, written in a dry, cold style. But it contains a lot of historical snippets that convey the times in New Zealand between WWI and WWII, as well as men's thinking of the time. This book is acclaimed in NZ literary tradition as a "landmark in the emergence of local literature", and while that is undeniable, Jane Mander's The Story of a New Zealand River, written in 1920, is a far more skilfully-written and absorbing story.

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic Kiwi novel which I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good adventure. It follows an ex-soldier from England who turns up in Auckland, NZ, a survivor from the trenches of WWI. We follow him as he makes his way through the wild and unforgiving country that has yet to be tamed by modernity or western conveniences. It puts me in mind of "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Thirty Nine Steps".

[Ashleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
I wasn't as offended by the ending as I expected to be
BookTube-A-Thon 2016

[Fiona Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story of early New Zealand, set after the Great War. Not sure I agree that Women are marginalised, just that it is mainly a story of men...

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ran it!
I mentioned a desire to run across the Kaimanawas and someone directed me to this book. I read it cover to cover - it was okay - and in the process formulated a route from Raetihi to the Eastern Kaweka ranges.
Recreating Johnsons flight from certain imprisonment I ran first to Ohakune, then up the Blyth track, Anti-clockwise around the mountain to Tukino before crossing SH1 and entering the Kaimanawas in the Southern Access Corridor. After 74km I slept. The next day would take around 14hrs and consisted of traversing from the southern end of the Kaimanawas to the start of the Kawekas. I arrived at Tussock Hut 12hrs later - broken. Bad weather slowed my progress and with an agonizing 3hrs from exiting the Kawekas I was stuck at Tira lodge for 2 days. My 3 day run became 5 but I emerged at Middle Hill acess on Makahu road successfully overcoming what took Johnson 3 months enduring a short dose of many of his hardships.
If you know of other similar journeys, fictional or other, please let me know.

[Angela Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat bleak tale, set in bleak times, of a depressed character who seems to have difficulty with inter-personal relationships is not a great basis for an entertaining novel. However, the thirties were difficult in New Zealand and the protagonist Johnson arrives in the country having served and suffered in the Great War. He struggles to find a job and a place in any community. Circumstances lead him to flee a possible murder charge and he spends time living in grim circumstances in the Kaimanawas. The tale is saved by the evocative, spare prose and justifies the praise for this novel, setting it among the finest in New Zealand literature. I was glad to have read it.

[Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grim read, but one of those books I'll be glad that I have read as I grapple with my own history. Johnson represents a sad and lonely way of living that seems almost a prerequisite of survival for many pakeha men who made their way to NZ, and that still hangs heavy over many families here today.

Johnson did at least know that he yearned for community, but always found reasons to abnegate his desire. There were hints throughout at how societal, political, and economics structures failed men like him.

At its best moments the book was sympathetic and unflinching, but unfortunately often it seemed to romanticize the tragic detached stoicism of the Man Alone.

[Kees Vos · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a miserably boring protagonist set in a moderately interesting time and place.

John Mulgan, who was tired of the 'effete' and 'weak' literature and poems of the time before and after WW1 wrote this book to be about strong, stoic and hard-working men. Women are not absent but portrayed as annoying inconveniences that get in the way.

The result is a book about a painfully boring man and his complete apathy to the world around him, who by the end of the book, decides to go to Spain to fight fascism just because he's bored.

The only redeeming things about the book are the descriptions of the New Zealand country side and a very uninformed view into the Queen St riots.

[zespri · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. The blurb describes this book as "a literary landmark, an insight into the sort of mind that dominated New Zealand society for so long. "

Written in 1939, just after the Great War, we have a picture of a returned soldier, trying to make his way back into society. The backdrop is the New Zealand of that era.

[Michael Carston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wee number is very very unlikely to have missed out on a full fiver. I think for a book to get 5 it must make me see the world in a different way or at least make me think considerably deeply about a subject. In any event, Man Alone is a confronting book. The setting of 1930s New Zealand is jarring. The protagonist is a simple man. Not a satisfying ending.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic New Zealand book. Focuses mainly on one man and his adaptation to the environment around him. However, the ending and conclusion of the novel is slightly clouded and unclear. A good read, nevertheless.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a New Zealand classic

[Moe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in one sitting on the flight over from Brisbane to Perth. Really enjoyed it. The prose is really good.

[Margaret Mcdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new country and a young man’s journey through the wars and Great Depression in New Zealand - personal interaction with country and events.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about masculinity. Well written and interesting to see the way NZ has changed and is now heading. Recommended - especially if you are dreaming of dropping out of society

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never really realised Mulgan was such a poncey nepo baby. Extra star for personal reasons

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taught me more NZ history than I learnt in school 👍

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a friend with a passion for this book, which made me decide to read it.

To begin with I thought, "NZ blokes, bloody great (not)." And not just any bloke, the sort born and raised before the first world war, who'd fought in it and come back to NZ harder, perhaps with the expectation that home would make it all better. And these men worked, went to the pub, expected meat and 3 vege on their dinner plate, raised children they probably never helped nurture. Their wages made them the boss of their home and they did what they wanted while their wives stayed home and cleaned, cooked, and had babies.

The story of Johnson has little to do with the story of the domesticated NZ man. He's English, he wants to enjoy peace time. He wants to work hard, eat, drink, see women when he needs sex, but otherwise spend his time with men. He does all of these things, moving through NZ (Auckland to Hamilton to New Plymouth, Northland, and tiny NZ villages). Johnson has no wish to settle down or buy a farm. He is the Man Alone who lives, as we would say today, "in the moment".

Yet within this context there's echoes of the man alone in Greek and Roman myths. I was reminded of the Odyssey, the journeys from place to place, working, meeting people, moving through before becoming attached, never settling, the homeland Over There, in the subconscious, waiting.

Ancient Greeks believed that the greatest relationship a man could have was with another man. The Spartans encouraged homosexuality among its warriors because they would be incentivised to fight all the harder with their lover beside them in the fray. Once again this side-by-side-ness is echoed in Johnson's relationships with men like Scotty and Stenning. Here were people he spent long periods of time with either working or travelling. They are so close they do not need to speak, they share clothes, the sleep in tents together, they wake and hear the other person breathing next to them.

But one day Johnson makes a stupid mistake, which snowballs into catastrophe. He becomes a man alone and fleeing, a man no longer part of the army of men, but peripheral to it. He goes bush and manages to survive. He changes from the easy-go-lucky sort with no real worries to someone who struggles.

There's more to be said. This is a book with the interesting subtext of great change. Governmental change, economic change, the eroding of the hard working but relatively happy lifestyle and cheap land that so many colonists came out for. It's a book of contrasts, too, hard men, tough work, few words alongside fear and confusion, beauty and real pain as hopes are dashed.

I can't say this is a favourite book, but it's so clever and well written, it encapsulates NZ (working class NZ) so well it deserves my 5 stars. I don't believe it's the great NZ novel, actually I don't believe in any such thing in any country, but it holds a special place in NZ literature because it is a record of a particular time in our history, just as Jane Meander's novel, Story of a River, records that period of early colonialism and NZ as a land covered in kauri, totara, supplejack, and many other native trees. All important books worth reading even if you never love them.

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great NZ novel. Even though I was brought up in NZ in the 1970s a lot of Mulgan’s 1919-34 New Zealand still rings true. The plot involves a young ex-soldier (Johnson) travelling around NZ while working in a number of rural jobs. You get a sense of the economic and political situation at the time with characters giving one sentence political positions and economic calculations: farmland is over-priced at £40/acre as butter prices at half-a-crown/pound won’t last; a farmers’ government is needed to protect the country’s real interests. Many characters discuss the economics of raising capital to buy a farm – or even creating one from wild country.
One character is repeatedly described a big man (p. 185) as he weighs 15 stones – times have changed. I think most people in NZ have stopped talking about the 1905 All Blacks test against Wales. Apparently a Saturday night out in Hamilton is just as dull now as it was in 1920.
Women don’t come out the book very well. Johnson’s love interest early on is Mabel, (23, strong, solid and wanting a husband) and he encounters a femme fatale later on called Rua – and that’s it. Johnson describes himself as not ambitious. He’s not ambitious socially, romantically or economically – he just keeps on moving. He does team up with other guys for extended periods to undertake farming projects, but these relationships can involve not talking to each other for weeks.
Maoris have many bit parts in the novel. “Mabel’s grandfather had shot Maoris for his bit of land.” Mulgan seems to have a neutral attitude to them quite different to society’s stance now. He arrives in a town in the Wairarapa during ‘cheer-up week’. They could do with one of those now.
You get a real idea of the social isolation and physically-demanding work required to survive and prosper then.

[Lily Tarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

most interesting part was when he was in the bush

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my NZ lit course at university. It was definitely an interesting read - I found myself enthralled by the descriptions of the NZ landscape, and the portrayal of life during the Great Depression.

The writing style is cold and unemotional - true characteristics of a 'man alone,' surviving in a country he is foreign to. Johnson is a bleak character, never quite with a passion for anything besides surviving on his means. I never connected with him because he isn't the type of character you would connect to. At the same time, I felt sorry for him during his periods of isolation. There aren't any other characters of note, aside from Rua, the Māori woman who Johnson has an affair with. Her portrayal annoyed me, as she was constantly belittled and treated like a child. Johnson's treatment of her is the one part of him that I couldn't agree with.

The narrative of part one is framed by Johnson's sea voyage to and from New Zealand, a land that is equally beautiful and majestic as it is unforgiving and harsh. I found the story pretty boring at the start, going from place to place. It picked up with the Auckland riots, and Johnson's escape to the country.

Overall, I'd recommend this book if you're interested in the portrayal of men in-between the world wars, or if you have an interest in the NZ landscape.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A co-worker from NZ gave me this book like a year ago as a going away gift (holy hell!) and I finally got around to reading it now. The cover isn't too attractive and I guess I wanted to bring it home with me, so I never read it in my travels because then I know I would sort of have to trade it for something else. And while, it was sort of boring, I am glad I waited because now I want to send it to my friend Jess who sent me a book in NZ when we were both there. Dude comes to NZ after "the great war" because he has nowhere else to go and finds all sorts of work up and down the country, but mainly on the North Island. He makes friends, but as it is in this time, no one really sticks around. He has "relations" with the Maori wife of one of the farmers he works for and when he tells the wife that he is leaving, she freaks and wants to go with him. The husband finds out and the farm hand actually ends up killing the farmer and running away. He hides for a few years and then runs into the wife later and sort of freaks and leaves the country to go back to Europe.

It's an old book and it was written like one, but actually one of the better NZ books I have read. Good luck finding it at a book store/library in the US, but I am sure they have it in NZ.

Grade: C+