Words by John Hepworth, several illusts by Leunig.
Book title "... His Book" - RARE paperback copy of Hepworth's early book with illusts. by Leunig! FUNNY, SATIRICAL, SHARP, SHOCKING - Hepworth at his BEST! Ships TODAY + FREE funny bookmark :)Airmail postage $5
BELOW IS A REVIEW ON AMAZON.COM
The horror of human conflict laid bare, February 14, 2002
Set amid the long, brutal campaign in New Guinea in 1945, The Long Green Shore details the exploits of a battalion of young Australian soldiers and their gutsy contribution in the push to drive the Japanese forces northward.
There's been plenty of books written about almost every single engagement, little or large, during World War II, and probably no shortage of stories about the New Guinea campaign. But it's not so much Hepworth's description of action and events that shines through here; more his delving into the lives and minds of the individual soldiers, and his juxtaposition of the horror of the conflict with the alien beauty of the tropical environs.
At times his style melts into a dreamy stream of consciousness that echoes the fragmented thoughts of the soldiers, then re-emerges seamlessly into a harsh, formal narrative, detailing the most horrible aspects of battle in the jungle in a heartfelt but devastatingly honest tone.
Hepworth avoids cliches deftly. The subject matter dictates that this book could have so easily degenerated into a run-of-the-mill wartime tale of heroism and heartbreak, and I'm optimistic enough to assume that Russell Crowe has enough nous and creativity to avoid churning this story out into a formulaic Hollywood-style blockbuster. Hepworth has written a moving, seamless story with tangible, desperately human characters, wonderful contrasts between the mind-shattering terror of battle and the pacific charm of the tropical setting, and a profound grasp of man's courage in overcoming adversity, no matter what the odds.
"Heppy" wrote this book back in 1949 as an entry into a Sydney Morning Herald literary competition, and had it turned down for publication numerous times - apparently Macmillan gave him a concerted "thanks but no thanks" because the market for war stories was well and truly saturated at the time. It wasn't until 1995 that the book was published, and the author only learnt of the deal being set in stone a few weeks before his death from lung cancer - a tragic and wholly unfair turn of events. Nonetheless, he could be assured that his legacy had a profound effect on at least one reader.
