John Mulgan’s stature as an author largely rests upon his only novel,
Man Alone, first published in London in 1939, but widely known only after it was re-published in his own country in 1949. Since then it has attained an iconic quality not only for its being, arguably, the first New Zealand novel of fully accomplished quality and enduring importance, but also for its title’s giving a name to a national literary topos, the lone man or woman. This high valuation would have greatly surprised its author, had he lived to see it, rather than committing suicide in 1945, at the age of thirty-three.
Mulgan’s other main work is Report on Experience (published posthumously in 1947), prose essays upon his experiences and observations, and thoughts arising from them. He also wrote, notably, a
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Citation: Ross, John C.. "John Alan Mulgan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 July 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3251, accessed 25 April 2024.]
