Macassar, Indonesia

Sometimes spelled Macassar, Mangkasar. Provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. Located on the southwest coast of the island of Sulawesi, facing the Makassar Strait.

There is no record of Lowry visiting city on his voyage to the Far East in 1927. Lowry refers to the city in his short story 'Tramps'; "Now when I was in Macassar.." (Pg. 4). Lowry also refers to the city in a letter to John Davenport dated 27th October which contains many references to Richard Eberhart's poems 'Caravan of Silence' and A Bravery of Earth though Eberhart does mention the city; "a Persian too - he longed for the friendly lights against the night in his home-town Macassar or Basia." (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 74). Lowry may have been influenced by Conrad's reference to the city in his short story 'Freya of the Seven Isles'; "the prettiest, and perhaps the cleanest-looking, of all the towns in the Islands." Lowry also makes reference to a "Maccaser" in his novel Ultramarine; "In Persia it was, Macasser the Sultan came aboard with all his harem under bloody umbrellas." (P.70). There was a Sultanate of Macassar which maybe what Lowry is making reference to in his novel. Again there maybe a connection to Conrad as Sultans occur in many of his short stories.

Blue Peter

Launched in July 1921, The Blue Peter: The Magazine of Sea Travel published maps, historical articles, short fiction, and features on ships - merchant sailing ships, passenger liners, excursion steamers, steamships, yachts, luxury steam yachts and motor cruisers - both the famous and not so well known, and articles on voyages, naval subjects, travel, and yarns of the sea, etc. Edited by A.M. and Frederick Arthur Hook, whose other publications included Merchant Adventurers, 1914-1918 (1920), Sail: The Romance of the Clipper Ships(1929), and Eastwards (1929). Photo-illustrations throughout, with full-colour advertisements and reproductions of paintings of sailing ships, it was to be found in the saloons of numerous passengers ships of the day. Published in London, price 1/-. Succeeded in May 1939 by The Trident.

Lowry refers to reading the magazine in his first novel Ultramarine; "or reading The Blue Peter" (Pg. 111) "The copy of the Blue Peter on top of my heaped clothes" (Pg. 133). A possible source for many nautical references in Lowry's work and his knowledge of Joseph Conrad and Bill Adams whose work was published in the magazine.

Joseph Conrad's Youth

'Youth' is an autobiographical short story by Joseph Conrad. It was written in 1898 and included as the first story in the 1902 volume Youth, a Narrative, and Two Other Stories. This volume also includes 'Heart of Darkness' and 'The End of the Tether', which are concerned with maturity and old age, respectively. "Youth" depicts a young man's first journey to the East. It is narrated by Charles Marlow who is also the narrator of 'Heart of Darkness', Lord Jim and Chance.

Lowry on his first voyage to the Far East in 1927 didn’t feel like Conrad when he quotes from 'Youth' in his short story 'China'; “that what expected had already gone, had passed unseen in a sigh, in a flash together with youth, with strength, with romance of illusions” (Psalms Pg 52). Yvonne in the 1940 Under The Volcano asks Hugh about his thoughts about Sokotra; "You mean you were disillusioned, like the man in Conrad's Youth".(Pg. 61)

Zamboanga

Lowry mentions Zamboanga, a long, semicircular peninsula located in northwestern Mindanao, Philippines, in his short stories 'Tramps' and 'Goya The Obscure' and later in Ultramarine; "……his tattooed arms (where had they been tattooed, ….Zamboanga?)" (Pg. 26).

There is no documentary evidence to suggest that Lowry visited the peninsular as part of his 1927 voyage to the Far East. It would appear that Lowry's mention of the peninsular is perhaps part of a youthful obsession with the "exotic East" which, manifested itself in the composing of the song 'I've Said Goodbye to Shanghai' with his Cambridge musical partner Ronald Hill. The peninsular features in Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim and is possible source as he read the book in his youth. The reference to the peninsular may also have been influenced by Lowry's reading of Richard Eberhart's poem A Bravery of Earth published in 1930. Eberhart's poem reflected his experiences at Cambridge University and his time as a ship's hand in the Far East which would have had obvious appeal to Lowry. Lowry wrote a letter to John Davenport dated 27th October 1930; "The third - (Richard Ghormley Ebehart!), unamazed in meditation looked up from Persia - more likely sailing down the coast by Iloilo, Zamboanga, Sabang, anywhere, Eberhart Icarus at this time". (Collected Letters Vol 1 Pg. 73-74).


Here is an interesting travel movie 'Zamboanga' made in 1936



"Zamboanga" was directed by Marvin Gardner in his native Philippines in 1936. His screen name was Eduardo De Castro. Thought lost forever, it was found in 2003? by Philippine filmmaker Nick de Ocampo at the US Library of Congress. (The copy came from Finland, hence the subtitles.) It stars Fernando Poe, Sr., the father of Fernando Poe, Jr., Philippine actor and presidential candidate. It is the oldest Filipino feature film known to exist. It was produced by Americans Tait and Harris and intended for American audiences. I have read that it was the first Filipino film entered in the Oscar Awards, but I'm still researching that. I had never even hoped to see any of my grandfather's work, as we thought it was all destroyed during WWII. The original film is now back in the Philippines. Nick included "Zamboanga" in his book, SineGabay: A Film Study Guide. He was kind enough to send some copies of the movie to my family. Read more