LITERARY NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 16, 19 January 1924, Page 17

LITERARY NOTES

Received: "Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18," Vol. Xll., published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney ; Americanisation of Edward. Bok (25th edition), published by Scribners, New York; "Fiery Particles," by C. E: Montague; "Dr. Dolittlej" and "The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle," by Hugh Lofting, published by Jonathan Cape, London, all through. Norman Aitken, Wellington; "Gossip of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries," by John Beres^ ford, from Richard Cobden-Sanderson-, London; "Reminiscences and Maori Stories," by the late Captain Gilbert Mair. '.'The Waikato War,".' by John Featon, and "Te Kooti Expeditions," by G. Mair, N.Z.C.; and C. A. Preece, N.Z.C., from The Brett Publishing Company," Auckland; "Polynesian Voyages," by; Elsdon Best, froni the Department of Internal Affairs/Wellington.

Over the signature of Leila Waddell, there appears in "Shadowland" (New York) a highly appreciative article of the lat3^ Katherine Mansfield. The writer describes , her meeting with the New Zealand writer in London. Miss Waddell was from Australia. The place of meeting was Queen's Hall, the occasion a Chopin recital by Pachmarin. Together the two women from the Antipodes met the great artist, and then it was that Miss, Waddell first realised how discerning Katlierine Mansfield was in all relating to art, and how sincere was her devotion to beauty. The article is extremely well written,

, "Only once," writes Mr. H. A. Vachel in his "Fellow-Travellers,1 "have 1 bearded the reviewer in nib den. Upon this occasion a novel of mine was dis missed- Qpriteniptuously as follows: 'We refuse to to be interested in a hero who cheats at cards.' There is no accounting for literary tastes. I should be much intrested in a hero" who cheated at .cards.-,- But i n my novel cards were not mentioned. So I wrote to the editor of the paper asking him to be good enough: to ■firid-but'from1 'a'hemelessire-' viewer- where and when my hero • had cheated at cards. I received by return of post a handsome, apology.. The editor had reviewed my book, and being much overworked had mixed, up-my novel with another. ! ; As. an amende honorable he put me for a year on the free list o£ ihia periodical, one of our best 'weeklies.' "

Mr. Vachel says that, like most- authors he prefers the unsolicited testi-' monialfl that arrive. by post from unknown admirers. But even these are not always flattering. "A lady wrote to me: 'I have, read and bought your books. I shall do so no. more, because 1 resent your unjustifiable attack upon my race. I am an Israelite. See page sc^and-so." This staggered me. 1 rushed to my bookshelf. , 1 turned to the page indicated.: I found this line: 'An obese Israelite was leaning against the bar.' What could I do? What could I say to. a reader, and buyer of novels yet unborn? I seized my pen and wrote: Madam,—l appear to have offended you unwittingly. I make the only reparation possible. In my next booki 1 will introduce a thin Israelite.-'"

Ralph Connor, the .popular Canadian novelist, who is in real life the Rev. C. W. Gordon, of Winnipeg, has just completed a new story entitled "The baspards of Pine Croft."

Miss Sybil Tasker. Hart, the- author ■? j AW IS6 Virgin," is a Yorkshire lady, iliis adds yet another name to the imposing list of Yorkshire novelists, among whom are Miss J. E. Buckrose Miss Storm-Jameson, Mr. Edward c' Booth, Mr. HalliwellSutcliffe, and Mr' W. Riley. ' ■ ■ .

'Fascism," by Odon Por, is introduced as (an informative and dispassionate account of the Fascist^ movement by a writer who has contributed frequently to the English reviews articles on social and labour problems in Italy:

Messrs. John, Long's latest synopsis of coming new books announces the anticipated appearance in mid-January of "Playing the Game," with the sub-title "What Mr. Asquith in His Book. 'The Genesis of the War,' Does " Not TeD Us." The author is Mr. E. G. Jellicoe, the well-known New Zealand barrister. Among other, things, the book is said to reveal $c inner history of facts underlying both British and American twentieth century diplomacy, and political policy as seen from an Englishman's standpoint. It shows what "playing the game" in Imperialism and Transatfanticism has done for Christianity, Civilisation, and the World at large. Mr. Jellicoe is described by the publishers as "a much-travelled man, who, possessing a keen personal knowledge of all the British Dominions and the United States of America, and of their activities during the Great War, deals with his subject from a world -point of view, and with a degree of earnestness and forensic fearlessness which, carries with it conviction. His discussions and facts relating to the ex-German Kaiser are both. masterly and inspiring. No lover of Peace should be without the book." ' '

The work ofi-W. .B. Yeats, the Irish p6et who has just been awarded the Nobel Prize, falls into two distinct classes: the earlier lyrical verse, now repudiated by- its producer, and his work since 1900 when he first allied himself with the Irish national theatre and turned his back on his earlier interest and his mind toward poetic drama. But even before 1900 Yeat 3 was a ruthless critic.of his own work. The collected poems of 1895 ignored much of the verse with which he had gathered admiring cohorts to his verdant bannerj It is therefore not surprising that his latest, "Selected Poems." issued several years ago, has almost obliterated his earlier work.' Naturally enough, his representative work between 1904 and 1919 has not excited the enthusiasm that welcomed the lovely "Wanderings of Oisin" and the "Countess Kathleen." ■