LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 237, 6 October 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

LITERARY.

Before his tragic death Donn , Byrne had sent' a new novel to his publishers, Sampson Low. It is called "Destiny-Bay/' and is. due' for publication about now. •Deep .sympathy- is felt for Mr. Eden Phillpotts, now in his/sixty-sixth- year,, in- the recent death of"his wife. .'They' were married in ;1892,*tw0 years after Mr. Phillpotts had-come to iiondonOto study -~for the stagehand. -much to encourage and sustain him in the days, when he struggled for fame."' ' - - ..-:■..' . JSJark Twain's house at Hartford, Conn., is to. bo converted into a' children's library. It was here, by his special wish, that the kitchen' was built at the front of.the house so;that the servants, "could "see the parades and circus pass by. with--out. running into the front garden." "the world of. fiction. ■■ :Vi ■ .-- ■•'••• '.-■■■." ■/'■■:': ■■ ■ ■/'■" : 'y WEYMAN'S LAST STORY. ' '. • \ A NEW' WODEHOUSE. I The world is : ready to give fame and fortune to those who can tell it a good story for its idle. hours. Amongst those who. Jiaye done this . for many years- the name of' Stanley Weyman stands • high, ; and many thousands will have' their pleasure tinged with sorrow when reading his last novel, "The Lively Peggy" (John Murray), which was running as ' a, serial in the "Cornhill Magazine" at the time of his death'. As a writer of clean, semihistorical romance, Stanley Weyman has attracted numberless friends, and his. name upon a book has always been a guarantee of,good reading. 'Devonshire provides th'o local colour and the wars of Napoleon the period for "The Lively Peggy," this title being, ihe name of an English privateer sailing' .for adventure and/profit during the wars. There is a concurrent love story, and the author's usual natural and convincing'studies in character. A collection "of his novels upon y.a bookshelf will form a suitable memorial to him,who has been'our unmet''friend/'since we read his earlier stories. . 'v/.';.'-';»■;. •.'■'.'

Kathleen Norris , "The Foolish" Virgin" (John 5 Murray) is more than a novel;; it is a study of the., modern •Rapper" of 18 to 25, a and contains much tolerant criticism of young people of both sexes. .A bright, and beautiful young woman .'is. compromised; by an accidental happening .late at night, and is ostracised by. her erstwhile friends. She.is taught by circumstance impossible, overcome , the insuperable,; and bear the intolerable. The difference between love and ■ infatuation is never seen by the infatuated' or understo'od-by those whose love is real, and lasting, and both mothers and daughters will find in this etory wisdom and comfort (and most;, pleasing entertainment withal. Tho villain is-a. gossiping doctor, than which-there are few worse social and. professional horrors. Tho tongue is mightier than the scalpel, and the unworthy one who uses the fornier, recklessly can wreck a, life or a home as easily as destroy a life with the latter. Hall' Caino said tho reading public were always moved by the peine forte et dure, and the popular authoress shows howthe seeming misdeed' of tho innocent may bring punishment from which cunning wickedness escapes with ■ exasperating ease and frequency..

The only complaint we have.to make about Mr. P. G. Wodehouse's latest, '■Money for Nothing," is that the copy Herbert Jenkins has sent us for review, is a paper-covered one. When a new Wodehouse arrives in- a household that has a proper appreciation of humour it is freely handled, and 'paper covers soon become annoyingly ragged. ■ Wo. should not say that this was the most-priceless Wodehouse vintage, bufc-it is quite in the tradition. There is -an. adorable heroine; a' hero who really is a man and is a.fool only whero- tho heroine, is concerned; a pair of American an amusing establishment Avhere elderly gentlemen are drilled'and regimented into: health;; arid most of the story takes place in the English country. The ."story has something of tho excitement of . x a "thriller," with the usual" Wodehpuse humour of. absurd situation and twisted speech.

"I -won't," said Mr. MoHoy.' "Give ine oil. Oil's oil. First in war, first In peace, ana first in the hearts of its countrymen, that's what oil is. The Universal Fuel of the Future." ' . .' .'".-

"Absolutely," said Eonnie' Fish. "What did Gladstone say in '8S? Xou can fuel some of the people all the time, and you can. fuel all the people some of the time, but you can *uel all I!ic people all the time. Ho was : forßettiiis about oil. . Probably he meant coal." •'. . Mr. "Wodehouse's fertility in this sort of thing seems to beinexhaustiblel ' "art in new zealand." ■ an' evdportant venture. ,The launching in New Zealand of an enterprise coiTespo'hding more or .loss to "Art in Australia" is an event in our cultural history. "Art in New Zealand" is. modelled on the lines of the successful Sydney .venture, but it promises to give rather more attention to literature. The ! publishers' notice , says that it will , be a quarterly "devoted to art in its various phases in-our own country" and will contain stories,,pbems, plays, essays and articles—"the best- work of New Zealanders !known and -unknown." Mr. H. H. Tcjmbs, of HarryH. Tombs, Ltd., who ■publish' the quarterly, is director of the enterprise, and Mr. A. Marris,a wellknown journalist, is literary' editor. They claim that this' is a journal that artists and writers can justly call their own, and we da not remember a local publication in which pictures -have been ■reproduced and literature printed in a fashion so distinguished.. There are a -number of colour plates and, black and white repfodu'ctioiis, the. artists . illustrated, -including H. Linley Richardson; Miss D. • • K. ■ Richmond,- -Nugent Welch and.Mrs.- Tripe. ..That .Wellington .artists, predominate in this number is said, to be due to the exigencies of publication. Other-centres will have- their turn; the quarterly is to be B'ominion-widc in its scope. The editors have collected an excellent body of literary matter, including poems by Miss Eileen JDuggan and' Mr. M rris; a.playlet by' Mr. C. R. ard an article by Mr. A. Nicol oji Van der jVelde'n's , ,influence' on .the art of this country.'The reproductions and the printing are well done and the whole volume is a credit to all concerned.' We 'sincerely hope the community, .will take enough interest in pictorial and literary art to keep this ambitious journal going. Artists and writers may be relied upon to .make it interesting; it is' for the W.? , to. : suppwt .it by_ -purchase. >'

Miss May Gibbs has- issued another comic animal book of verse, and illustrations in colour, for children. Varied monotone printing gives an excellent effect, and a welcome change from the crude and clashing colours of the usual illustrated books for children.. There is a wealth of story, of fanciful and impossible creatures, of which an-xmknown variety of native bear will appeal chieflyto Australian youth. Messrs.-Angus and lave priced it at an-Vexcep-; tionally"; low. , figure .for the result .'of ■ bo much'labbur and its first class "get,up" and quality^- \. ..'-.. i■: .-V; •'>'; •'.'..■

•; Mr. 'John- .Pollock's ;.. translation-•• of M. "J. J. : , Brousson's personal study ■pS :'• ;Anatolfc : : Franco;: ; .-.-'is . T . lacking in;: interest,."because-,: it Vis.-M..- Broussah's second volume' of reminiscences and the.subject matter, torn'fr.om. its-cqii-text, carries less,meaning'tdrihe average reader than, it/must have; done to the faithful;-secretary ■ 'who • his -master's lightest word*with- respectful ■admiration; and as.a second'volume it presumably contains, . the •scrapings ((forgive- the' word)', of the''diary .from which the:. first • was ■ mdde. : Anatole •France had .a : large .[circle 1-of English readers, but it is hardly'possible that -they will find in.'"Anatole France Abroad": (Thornton Buttenvortli) much to 'increase their liking for this old ironist and sceptic. • . .')

. The■'. Oxford University Press has published for Professor Elder,, of the University of Otago, "New Zealand:. An Outline," a summary of our .history up to the present day. Jn- a" book of only ninety pages covering so wida a/period,unusual literary qualities can ■ hardly be expected, but the story is told simply and with due proportion, and this little, volume, published at 1/6, s'hoYild bo valuable as a recoivl of: main facts' and a preliminary to fuller; study. ;It.is illustrated and therc'is a'useful, bibliography. The only criticis'ni we would make is that the cultural side 6f;Nejv. Zealand might have. been ; illustrated." Not enough is done to corriTet the" impression abroad that we are sUll-;in<tho primitive state. '"■'•■ .'- ■ . .■ • MAORI-POLYNESIAN.. LEGENDS. . '. MR.JOHANNES ANDERSEN'S ".'' . COLLECTION.- :••■. ■'

; A sumptuously volume of COO '• pagesi 'Mr.'' Johannes -C. ■Andersen's book "Myths and. Legends o£ tile .Polynesians/'' just published by Harrap and Co., is'a. handsome addition to 'the- ah-eady : great body of literature on Maori-Polynesian mythology and /folklore. 'It is specially'notable* because of the sixteen beautiful plates in 'colours, -from- drawings by • Mr. Richard\ Wall,work, of Christchureh. I Aβ to the matter, Mr., ; Andersen, eo: ; well-knbwn'as. a poet and'.a writer oi} a gVeat variety of subjects, explains in his preface that he came so late- in the day that he' has been able to gather but little; but Hehas'tried in this book ''to be; a trumpet through which the musical Polynesian voice might make itself heard, and:_attract attention to the power and personality hind the voice." It is in this' capacitv that he has gathered together "these gleanings of, other, men's, harvests,", so, that the wonderful, navigators and poets] and historians of Polynesia , ' may; atanW' before the reader as- do .dhe;, Greeks ,-of. old, "Splendid even in the; ruins'of what they were." .. ; > ; " "' ■''•-''' * '''!

With this, explanation to' : begin with, the reader is not surprised to find that tho greater part of: the book, is familiar material, from the writings "of. S. PercySmith, Forilander,' Ellis', ' Grey, John White and others, and. from Hawaiian The special value of the book consists in'it's careful co-ordina-.tipn of the various island and Maori legends, and the. author's skilful and accurate comparisons between this, mass of folk-lore and the classic legends of the Old World. ' It would have been as well had tho longer and sometimes only moderately interesting legends been much'reduced in length. Judicious editing is advisable in such publications; there is a tendency to crowd'too many long stories frofti various sources into one volume. ■ . .

Mr. Andersen's remarks cm Maori ~sr.& music aro worth reading; here, he writee with expert knowledge. His'poetic bent is shown hi the' sympathetic and eloquent rendering of some of the prettier Polynesian legends. ■ ■■ When Mr. Andersen comes to discuss the subject 6f Maori-Poiynesiaii voyages through the Pacific, some stories accepted by hiin are open to question. The reference to Rakataura (p. 37) as a very early visitor to. New Zealand if an example. It is not' supported by authentic tradition. Rakataura, eo far from being a predecessor of. the dis--coverer, Kupe, lived- many generations after him, : and came to New Zealand as the priest of Tainui canoe, about 1350 A.D. There is a tall legend that he came on tho back of.a "taniwha*" called Paneiraifa, but even his descendants treat this as a mere fairy-tale. ' Raka's history is well-knowni among the Tainui people pf " the King Country In connection with the subject of navigation, /Mr. Andersen says ; (p. 42), fAn ethnological romance has flowered within the last-few years"—the discovery that .the Hawaiian .sailors used what is (lescribedas a "magic calabash," which was "no other than i combined sextant and compass." This so-called magic calabash was described some tinie ago at Honolulu. A rpecimen is. preserved in the Bishop Museum. But the speculations, as to the uses f the forgotten calabash, with its four holes, are so far unsupported by good evidence that it was an instrument of navigation; There have been eloquent theorisings on the subject at-Honolulu, but the'practical use of the water filled calabash at sea as a means of observing tae North Star, or other celestial objects, seems very, doubtful. For the present it would be as well .to withhold acceptance of the pleasing story - from the Bishop. Museum. The Ancient ' oceanrovers were close observers of the stars, the ocean currents, the fiignt of certain birds, and other guides ';o navigation, but' there is no satisfying proof yet before us that/they had any, instruments 'to; ascertain the : altitude .of heavenly bodies., ■- v ... - - ■*-. -._ /■ BOOKS RECEIVED. ••' rMd and ■ H Van. Raalte; Canberra, a The Stir; In- A. B > -Chappeft ,- M.A.' ' . " . -■■'