The Unpainted Mask

Steven Edmund Winduo demonstrates his ability as a writer in this collection of short stories. The collection captures the changing social, cultural, and political landscapes of Papua New Guinea.

The collection is a blend of published and unpublished short stories. The stories cover journeys people make from their unperturbed societies to ones in constant negotiation with change. These stories blend lived experience with imagined ones among Papua New Guineans.

The book highlights the sometimes uncomfortable relationships and challenges emerging in different sociocultural encounters. One major them runs through all stories in this collection: Mask. People wear different masks to view themselves and other. People have different opinions and views when viewing a mask from outside of a mask. People choose to wear a painted mask or an unpainted one.

Steven Edmund Winduo is a senior lecturer in Literature and English Communication at the University of Papua New Guinea.