John Kolia (32 works by) (birth name: John Collier )
Born: Established: 1931 Sydney ; Died: 1993
Gender: Male

Dear all, An interesting dilemma here. I am looking at an article on a book by John Kolia, whom I had always assumed to be a PNG national. However, it appears that he was born in Sydney as John Collier, educated Sydney, England, moved to PNG 1956, changed his name to PNG form and now a naturalised citizen of PNG. So he should really be described as PNG only, I guess, but this fails >to recognize the fact that he is not indigenous PNG - and I think that's of interest/significance. Or could we stretch a point and describe him as 'aust papua new guinea'? The article says he does not include a 'Note on the Author' in the book - likes to make the reader guess whether he is indigenous or not the article discusses whether the reader has a right to know from what ethnocentric viewpoint or basis a writer writes. Encyclopedia of post-colonial literatures in English, on the other hand, says that 'unlike Australia's B.Wongar, Kolia never adopts the authorial perspective of the unsophisticated indigenous writer; rather, like Chinua Achebe of Nigeria, he sees his role as didcatic and >culturally re-integrative.' If we consider him to be Australian in any sense he should also be in AUSTLIT as an author. There is one record for him there now. Anne Chittleborough.

Definitely in. Please add rhese details to his record - maintenance note...thanks KK. JK 13/5/05

 In between : cultural ambivalence in the novels of John Kolia / Lyn Baer."A Disertation presented in partial fulfilment of the reqirements for M.A. qualifying at the University of Queensland." National Library of Australia. National Library of Australia (ANL) Nq 823.3 K81B JK 16/5/05 As J. A. Collier The history of Tauruba : a village in the Rigo sub-district / J.A. Collier. [S.l. : s.n.], 1972. Thesis (M.A.) - University of Papua New Guinea. JK 16/5/05 In Encycl of post-col lit Kolia is described as a South Pacific novelist. JK 15/8/05 NOTE to Editors. Should he be in? Would he want to be regarded as Australian? What about AustLit? JK 15/8/05

BiographyHistory

John Collier was educated in Sydney and England and moved to Papua New Guinea in 1956. In 1971 he was awarded a BA from the University of Papua New Guinea and changed the spelling of his name to a local phonetic form (Kolia). In 1976 he became a naturalized citizen of Papua New Guinea and was awarded a Ph D in oral history from the University of Papua New Guinea.

He was the editor of the journal, Oral History, also wrote eight novels set in Papua New Guinea, as well as books such as A Lala Grammar : Sketch and Vocabulary (1977) and Discussion Papers for the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies concerning Papuan social life and customs and history.

He was also Director of the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies at Boroka.