Published Series

Since indigenous publishing in PNG has never found a solid institutional or corporate base, the publication of series books has been extremely difficult. Aside from the Aimbe series published by Paulias Matane, the most notable series of creative publications in PNG during the period covered by this website has been the Papua Pocket Poets series published at the UPNG in the Literature department.

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About Papua Pocket Poets

Chief among Ulli Beier’s accomplishments at the Literature Department of the UPNG was the Papua Pocket Poets (PPP) series which he began in order to have some oral materials for his literature classes. The first three volumes were printed in London because Beier needed to materials printed cheaply. Thereafter he published the series in Port Moresby. PPP also provided a publishing venue for the poets from Kovave and from Beier’s creative writing classes: Enos, Tawali, Kasaipwalova, Jawodimbari, Iamo, Mapun, Kavop, Kama Kerpi. It included as well a volume of poetry by Chakravarti, 18 (1970), and one by Don Maynard, 21 (1971). Aside from Jack Lahui, the Literature Bureau and mission-base poets do not appear in PPP editions except for the crossover poets Enos, Tawali, Jawodimbari, Simet, Saunana, and Kavani.

The 45 volumes of PPP reflect the interests of its editors, Ulli Beier (vols. 1-25) and Prithvindra Chakravarti (vols. 26-45). Both men worked together from the beginning in the Department to encourage PNG poets and to broaden their knowledge of other poetic traditions. The first three volumes printed in London, for example, were Maori, Malay, and Yoruba texts. Beier followed these with Indonesian, Ibo, Bengali, and Biafran collections. But from the fifth volume to the twenty-fifth, the PPP series focused almost exclusively on PNG poetry, whether traditional or modern. Traditional poetry in PPP was usually presented in both original and translation. When the compiler was an islander, he also had translated the poems. When the compiler was an expatriate (e.g. Murray Russell, Don Laycock, Elton Brash, Nigel Krauth, Judith Ainsworth) the texts were either in the original or an islander had translated them. As a whole Chakravarti’s time with PPP featured not African, but Indian, poetry, in the first six volumes of his editorship. The rest of the series under Chakravarti was almost entirely Papua New Guinean.

The main difference between the editorships was that Chakravarti published mostly modern poetry (14 of the 17 PNG volumes). Beier published mostly traditional poetry (9 of the 12 PNG volumes). This disparity was likely due to the passage of time. By 1973, Chakravarti could concentrate on modern poetry because enough of it had been written by then. But, given the waning traditional content of Kovave by 1973, writers may simply have had other interests themselves. Under Beier, the only modern poets represented were Enos and Tawali. Two of the volumes under Beier were collections of original Pidgin poems; only one under Chakravarti was in Pidgin. Chakravarti’s editorship featured two collections of modern poetry and one collection of traditional. Of these collections, Modern Poetry from Papua New Guinea, 39 (1972), edited by Brash and Krauth, consisted of reprints from Kovave. The rest of the volumes were specific to individual ethnic groups. None of the collections of modern poetry was by a woman. The PPP collection remains the single most comprehensive source of printed verse from PNG, a testimony to the wealth of oral tradition and to the energy of its young writers.

1967

1. Ta Aroa: Poems from the Pacific. Collected by Eckehart von Sydow. Translated by Ulli Beier.
2. Pantun: Malay Folk Poetry. Collected by Hans Nevermann. Translated by Ulli Beier.
3. Ijala: Animal Songs by Yoruba Hunters. Collected and translated by Ulli Beier and Bakare Gbadamosi.
4. Luozaho: Indonesian Poetry.
5. Python: Ibo Poetry. Translations by Chinua Achebe, Clement Agunwa, Ulli Beier, Romanus Egudu, E.C.C. Uzodinma..

1968

6. Birds Pierce the Sun: Poetry by Children. Edited by Ulli Beier.
7. Aia: Mekeo Songs. Collected and translated by Allan Natachee.
8. Love Poems of Papua and New Guinea.

1969

9. Jhumur: Bengali Folk Songs. Collected by Prithvindra Chakravarti.
10. Only Dust: Three Modern Indonesian Poets. By Basuki Gunawan, Chairil Anwar, Joke Muljono. Tanslated by Ulli Beier.
11. Limlibur: Tolai Poems. Collected and translated by Murray Russell.
12. Akaru: Traditional Buin Songs. Collected and edited by Don Laycock.
13. Kakaile Kakaile: Tolai Songs. Collected and translated by Murray Russell.
14. Biafra: Requiem for the Dead in War. By Onwuchekwa Jemie.
15. A Handful of Sun: Modern Poetry from West Bengal and East Pakistan. Edited by Prithvindra Chakravarti.

1970

16. Baul: Bengali Mystic Songs from Oral Traditions. Edited and introduced by Prithvindra Chakravarti.
17. Wiliwil: Pidgin Songs. Edited by Leo Hannet.
18. Sands Sun Water: Poems. By Prithvindra Chakravarti.
19. Signs in the Sky: Poems. By Kumalau Tawali.
20. Andagarinja: Children’s Bullock Corroboree. By C.J. and A.H. Ellis.

1971

21. Fragment of the God: Poems. By Donald Maynard.
22. Nansei: An Anthology of Original Pidgin Poems. Edited by Kumalau Tawali.
23. Warbat: Magic Love Songs of the Tolais. Collected and translated by Apisai Enos.
24. High Water: Poems. By Apisai Enos.
25. Dragon Tree: Arosi Incantation and Songs. Translated by John S. Saunana.

1972

26. To Each My Blood and Other Hymns for the Martyrs of the February Struggle 1952 and the Freedom Fighters of the March Revolution 1971 of Bangla Desh. Edited by Prithvindra Chakravarti.
27. Chharaa: Children’s and Women’s Verse from the Bengali Oral Tradition. Edited by Prithvindra Chakravarti.
28. Playing a Thousand Years: Poems. By Jibanananda Dash.
29. Reluctant Flame: A Poem. By John Kasaipwalova.
30. Modern Poetry from Papua New Guinea. Vol. 1. Edited by Nigel Krauth and Elton Brash.
31. Hanuabada: Poems. By John Kasaipwalova.

1973

32. Cruising Through the Reverie: A Poem. By John Selwyn Saunana.
33. A Leopard Lives in a Muu Tree: New Poetry from East Africa.
34. Bastard: Poems. By Jacob Simet and Siuras Kavani.
35. She: Poems. By John S. Saunana.
36. Wicked Eye: Poems. By Arthur Jawodimbari and Dus Mapun.
37. Call of Midnight Bird: Poems. By Kama Kerpi.
38. Traditional Poems, Chants, and Songs of Papua New Guinea. Vol. 1. Edited by Elton Brash and Nigel Krauth.
39. Asumilau: Tiang Magic Songs. Collected and edited by Judith Ainsworth. Translated by Winifred P.Y. Taufi and Judith Ainsworth.
40. Enga Eda Nemago: Meri Singsing Poetry of the Yandapo Engas. Collected and translated by Kundapen Talyaga.

1974

41. Return to My Land: Poems. By Arthur Jawodimabari.
42. Kas Bilong Yu: Poems. By Jerry N. Kavop.
43. Nema Namba: Poems. By Henginike Riyong.

1975

44. Gamblers Niugini Style: Poems. By Jack Lahui.
45. Siboda Henari: Poems on Independence. By Gapi Iamo, Kundapen Talyaga, Polonhou Pokawin, Mekeu Opa, Segg Putahu, Henginike Riyong, J. Simet. Edited by Prithvindra Chakravarti.