The Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea

Young Girl from the Trobriand Islands during milamala time
I was rather pleasantly surprised to read an article about the exotic Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea yesterday with some superb photographs. 

It brought back so many wonderful even joyful memories of the many months I spent exploring the beautiful and peaceful Islands Provinces of the Papua New Guinea in order to write my book entitled:

Beyond the Coral Sea: Travels in the Old Empires of the South-West Pacific (HarperCollins London 2003)

The great Polish ethnologist Bronislaw Malinowski studied these islanders and inspired me with his superbly written book The Sexual life of Savages. He is one of the great geniuses of modern times and scarcely mentioned these days. 




If you are interested in further reading on the Trobriand Islands my book covers this fascinating region in great cultural detail. 

The island provinces are a true paradise, seldom visited owing to the unfortunate prejudice against visiting the country which has come about by sensationalist reports of violence in Port Moresby and the Highlands.

Michael Moran, onKar Kar Island, Papua New Guinea



I am pleased to say my book is still in print after 11 years and has become the classic literary travel book for the region known as the Bismarck Archipelago. 

 The book was short-listed for the 25th Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. 

The book attracted many excellent reviews of which I am really proud as it was a truly challenging expedition

‘If you’ve room for only one book in your baggage this year, take this one. Elegantly and powerfully written, evoking steaming jungle gorges, enervating heat, idyllic coral beaches, wrecked ships, deserted towns and people caught in limbo between the savage past and hopeless future, it is the work of a true traveller…….a meditation on the nature of humanity itself.’ Celia Brayfield, The Times

More reviews at:


Available from Amazon at:




The newspaper article and photographs:


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2627148/Inside-worlds-original-free-love-community-Trobriand-Islanders-change-spouses-want-dedicated-love-huts-settle-differences-game-cricket.html
For my Polish readers the book has been translated into Polish with the title Za Morzem Koralowym (PIW) and is available at the Bookshop of the Muzeum Azji i Pacyficu in Warsaw, Allegro and direct from me if you email me.

 http://www.piw.pl/fragmenty/zamorzem.htm

http://allegro.pl/za-morzem-koralowym-moran-michael-i4124637752.html






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