 Since the mid – 1970s , references to Four Years Among the Cannibals have continued to appear in studies on New Guinea . In the 1990s , Detzner 's work received some rehabilitation from ethnographer Terence Hays , who placed Detzner 's work in its contemporary context : Four Years Among the Cannibals , he wrote , " paved the way for me [ to become an ethnographer ] by creating romanticized images that served as a backdrop for more serious readings " . Since then , geographer Robert Linke has raised some important questions : " Why did Detzner resort to lies to embellish his wonderful story ? The unadorned truth would have been enough to establish him as one of the great figures in New Guinea history . " Detzner had remained at large for four years , as a fugitive in enemy @-@ held territory : surely , Linke concluded , this was an exceptional feat . No doubt the Australians could have made a more broadly organized attempt to capture him , and probably would have succeeded , but they did not make the effort ; they preferred instead the more convenient " shoot @-@ at @-@ sight " method . " It is impossible " , Linke wrote , " not to admire his [ Detzner 's ] sheer elan , his courage and tenacity . " In 2008 , Detzner 's book was retranslated , reprinted , and marketed as a modern translation of a rare and valuable book about the exploration of the New Guinean interior during World War I. 
