man of england now

Man of England Now by Frank Sargeson (Caxton Press, 1972)

This book is comprised of three novellas; I read only the first two, both of which were somewhat engaging and readable but quite forgettable.

Frank Sargeson is a (homosexual) New Zealand writer.  The first novella, Man of England Now, is about a young man from Northern England who emigrates to New Zealand shortly after WWI in search of a better life.  He might have stayed in England, as the life he finds in New Zealand is hard and not very rewarding.  The second novella purports to be the diary of a 40ish spinster school teacher who lives with her mother and begins a rather inept and eventually unconsummated liaison with a visiting handsome doctor, who is already married and also has eyes (and hands) for her step-sister.

Some bright, textured writing, but it never seems to rise above the prosaic and familiar.