NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23379, 23 September 1939, Page 17

NOTES

Mrs Barbara Gould, who has just become chairman of the Labour Party, is the widow of Mr Gerald Gould, the poet and critic. She has stood for Parliament six times—once losing by onlyfive votes. Ford Madox Ford’s last book js his longest. It is a manuscript of 250,000 words, surveying the world’s literature from Confucius to the present day, which will be published in London shortly. A portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson is to appear on one of the new Samoan postage stamps, ft is part of a new series intended to celebrate the occupation of Western Samoa by the New Zealand forces on August 29, 1914. Every villager in the United Pro vinces who learns to read and write is. to .be presented by the Provincial Government with a book so that he mav not forget what ho has learnt. This scheme is part of the successful anti-illiteracy campaign started by the Indian Government at the end of last year.

For the lirst time the 8.8.0. has commissioned an author to write a novel specially for broadcasting. Mr J. B Priestley is,,now at work on a novel, entitled ‘ Let the People Sing,’ the broadcasting of which will begin in the early evening of Sunday, September 3, and be continued each Sunday evening until November 19.

King George’s Jubilee Trust announces further details of the book which is to be published, by permission of the King, commemorating their Majesties’ visit to Canada and the United States; The book will contain the speeches and broadcast addresses delivered by the King and Queen. There will be 65 photographs, reproduced in half-tone, showing many of the most important events of the tour, and a chronological narrative of the day-to-day progress.

The Hawthornden Prize, tor a book published in 1938, has been awarded to Mr Christopher Hassull, for his book of narrative poems, 1 Penthesperou.’ Mr Hassall, who is still in his twenties, has published two earlier books, ‘ Christ’s Comet ’ and ‘ Devil’s Dyke.’ The 1939 Heinemann Prize was presented last month to Mine. Camille Mayran for her books, ‘ DamC on Noil',’ and the Stock Famine Vie Heureusc Prize for 1939 has been awarded to Mr Robert Graves for his historical novel, ‘ Count Beiisarius.’

Olive Mercer has recently had the. pleasure of seeing her articles again copied by magazines or newspapers of other lands. One out of a series which has been running through 1 The Science of Thought Review ’ in England has been translated into Italian and been reproduced in Italy in the_ ‘ Review of Reviews.’ ‘ The Truth Digest of New York ’ has twice lifted these articles for reproduction, while ‘ The Atlantic Voice,’ a Spanish newspaper printed in Costa Rica, published one called * The World cf To-day ’ as well as taking ‘ The Thought for the Week ' from the writings of Olive Mercer.

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, who edited ■ The Oxford 'Book of English Verse ’ nearly 40 years ago, has for some years considered the desirability of widening the scope of this volume so that it should include poems farther into the modern period, fie now has in preparation a new and enlarged edition, in which he has included a number of poems by modern authors down to 1018. The selection of carols and medieval lyrics, of which many fine examples have been discovered in recent years, lias also been increased and strengthened, and a revaluation of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth century has occasioned the inclusion of further examples of,their work. Diaries of the far past, according to Mr Hilaire Belloc, are fascinating almost in proportion to the lapse of time between their d'av and our own. One thing they do which is invaluable, and that is to present unconsciously the changes in social mode. For instance, he once came across a passage in a seventeenth century diary in which the writer speaks of witnessing in his walks abroad the burning at the stake of a woman who had poisoned her husband. The diarist records his emotions of distress and pity, but does not find the sight intolerable. He feels very much as anyborlv might to-day on seeing a gang of convicts being led out of a train into.a prison van. There is a perhaps stronger illustration in John Evelyn's diary. Evelyn was present in Paris when some political prisoners were being put to the torture lo wring

confessional evidence from them. He describes the sight, very coolly, as an interested observer. Neither the inhumanity nor the futility of this then normal legal process • seems to strike him. Emil Ludwig reached New York in June, bringing from Venezuela the completed manuscript of his new biography of Simon Bolivar. Mr Ludwig received the eo-operation of the Venezuelan Government, which placed its archives at his disposal, thus making available much hitherto unpublished material. Compton Mackenzie has accepted the invitation of the Dickens Fellowship to become its president. Speaking at the annual dinner, Horace Anneslcy Vachell said that the fellowship had become a charitable organisation, and he believed it might become the greatest charitable organisation in the Eng-lish-speaking world. Important among the new biographies is ‘ The Prince Imperial,’ by Katherine John, to be published by Putnam. The author is known as K. John for her reviews and articles in the literary weeklies. She and her husband met when they were studying at Cambridge, and they were married while they both were undergraduates. He is a son of Augustus John. Michael Joseph’s spring list is headed by IT. G. Wells’s now novel, ‘ The Holy Terror,’ which the publisher claims is the most important novel for many years. It is a long book (about 150,000 words), which deals with the life and death of a world dictator. Beginning in the nineteen twenties, the story advances to the present time, and a future of characteristic AVellsian invention and imagination.

A novel which Mr H. G. Wells has been assuring his friends is one of the greatest ever written will be published in England by Messrs Heinemann at the beginning of September—‘ The Grapes of Wrath,’ by John Steinbeck. Mr Wells has had the opportunity of rending the work in the American edition—it was published in the IT.S.A. two months ago and is selling at the rate of 10,000 a week—and he is not alone in regarding Air Steinbeck’s novel as a masterpiece (states the 1 Liverpool Post ').

A hitherto unknown letter written by Jane Austen was sold in London Inst month tor £oS. In it she says that she has “ just received nearly £2O on the second edition of ‘ Sense and Sensibility.’ which gives me this fine flow of literary ardour.” Other letters in the sale were from Byron. Scott. Washington. Bepvs. and Boswell. One was written bv Byron to Coleridge in praise of bis ‘ Christobel.’ some of which, he said, had been recited to him by Scott. “ Scott.” he added, “ is a staunch and sturdy admirer of yours, with a just appreciation of your capacity, but he deplored to me the want of inclination and exertion which prevents 'on from giving full scope to your mind.” Guided by an editorial committee of distinguished Scottish scholars and men of letters, presided over by Prolessor J. D. Maclkie, of Glasgow University, the Saltire Society proposes to issue, in conjunction with Oliver and Boyd, a series of Scottish classics in prose and poetry. Many of these have long been difficult or expensive to obtain. It is hoped in this way to furnish cheap but worthily-produced and authoritative texts ranging from the sixteenth century onwards. The first four volumes will contain ‘ The Gude and Godly Ballatis,’ edited by Ralph S. Walker; ‘ Allan Ramsay.’ edited by H. Harvey Wood: and 1 Tames Hogg.’ edited by Dr ,1. W. Oliver. Other suggested titles include the works of Dunbar. Tleury.son, Sir Thomas Urqnhart. and sixteenth-cen-tury diaries and journals.