A LITERARY LOG.

Southland Times, Issue 18822, 15 May 1920, Page 11

A LITERARY LOG.

[ ABOUT BOOKS & BOOKMEN."] (By “Iota.”) May 15, 1020. A Communicated Novel. —people who _aro acquainted with the doings of -piritual-ir-ta are probably well acquainted witli Bhttence Worth !rnm whom Mrs Curran has been "receiving’ communications these Hinny year.-. lor the nonet' 1 ant not concerned with the mem- or otherwise of writers irom the (’tween coming on to the present-day market as authors, but I am <|uite prepared to accent nureserveilly the statement by Mr Casper S, Yost, in the introduction to "Hope Trneblood," that the novel represents Patience Worth’s first essay in modern Fngli-h. Cp to the time that Mrs Curran bea m to receive this novel, Mr Yost tells us. Path-nee Worth had spoken or written in the Lm.di.-h of olden (lays, full of arehaie forms- and phra-cs, This was the eharaeterbt U. he adds. of her earlier poems and ■■'Cue Sorry Tale" and other stone-, but m "Hope Trurblood.’’ a tale of the N irauaau period, tltere ere only occasional 1 r.r-eient words. The novel itself i- undoubtedly interesting, and it is remarkably wed told. Considered purely as a piece of workmanship it is well worthy of praise, though tltere is at times a tendency to cloudim-s.-, due perhaps to the desire of keepim; tip the suspense. The story tells of the d iuc!;: -r of a woman, the reproach of a village, who, thomrh known as Sally True;-T>o.!, is ,ii.-ei*vered to be 1-uig after her dean;. :■ won.mn of good birth whose sinful reputation came upon her in circumstances of a peculiar nature. The tale is told in Cm- wools of her daughter who sutlers as ".'-.my Trnrbl-icd's brat. 'Che character of tin- heroine, if one may call her that, is extremely i ..•■mt ;fi:l, without being mawkish, and the deii.-aey with which her lineaments m— tram- • i- unu.-uaHy attractive. Hope Truebloo.i i- certainly a loveable child and she develop,- into a loveable woman, through many trials and much SUlTerimr. The auUm:-''--; •-• a eat a.'ole delineator of character and ir is a. remarkable fact that threngiae.u tin- story there i- no false note ir. the atmo-phere. It is ditVierlt to dise- ;e move! from the circumstance- ;!■■!, i' e >.n;>' to ho written, but wht ther this i-.e r r 1' - not itone the work rem-iins -;:>r,e:.—.rly meritorious to inrecoin:;;; 1 :; ;■ i, ;tv ,- ■: e of "Hope Trueblood" wind 1 : i- t .fishoi by Sketlinuf on and Sons, cam - trm; mti tm.mV. >--> > > > Planchetts and a Career.- -David Bispham, in "A te. inker Sinner'- Recollection-” pubfi-hed by Maem.illan mid Co., tells how a "planeh.-c: e” iniiueneed his career to an. exira'-nlmary extent. That curious lift!" implement, at a certain session in land, win n h j - only operatic experience had h-.-.-t; rii M; --agar s light work, urged him to -go into opera by all means," he was f - .- ’ ’ a.- of Verdi and Wagner." rn "Aida," "Tannhauser," ''Tra-tan." and "Th 1 - Mastcrsinger?” —in the last nrum i, Be.'ktur.-.-er. He was s ’ : p ! ’-- ; \ m;• : cy this that he though h- ha ’; nm prospei-:,- at the time the -ue-f-iing nm- s of th-- nook show strikingly hj w hj - v.-ail 'd upon, unexcause of hi- preparation. Wi: hits two months ear.; ■ a. pro: to -in; P-gk-tno-s-r to .Han do Ke-rk-'s Webber at (oven: t Co-deno-opon-d he.- msc- of Jean’s dim -- -an 1 hntat diatt-ly iilerea.n-T. Kur.vt ti.tl. H” was e..arh-.l t !-,e -atmlitsriit sang th- p.-.rt. : ■ Tri.-'an <-f A 1 vary. Mr ;hh.ks he may say without is-a.-tiug. "for it i- merely a matter of rccoru. tn.ar tor a. number of years he had no rival :n rim pan- of Kunvenal \ and Beekim-s.-er, Am! r v, a- all dtte to j "plancho- tn it -h- wa- ready for the j

■> >,■'/ > Mary, Queen of Seen. Rvenrlv rh« Ti.fy.-i S-cgd: Vim '■ ; i :i i\i;t, |; rj, ' i on ovV: :mm : ■■■ marL, i,y l-.-rrer is f:• ■~ : iti,-■; :■ -r .1 ;’<■ r:■ 1:i::nt- home In S, Uili ’ v.-:,ies 1... m murual . The l--u-r reminds-1 m- in,- 1 iod m my what I i-.-IU--.-i- m .i.: •m; , 1 u .-y ri.v to I-.:-:---'- T. -■! .1 I!;-,- lit-,.! Am-m ;: ,v s-.vin' T" ' "■ ! | ■' ' A - ; Will j

to tn- A • w.i.- r run.- {Vrl ii.L' I>* 1 ■ s-E --'ory llrnt Bia.-eo ha! <’i _ • i "■ 1.-yei.d rr V!<-.V»T iiT • he Trib’vi-i ret-alls that. on urn vim.-- in V.-.v York, "it wa-s said that the now. r, ~ t »ri-;-humly, hi-. In- -to.-.- ■ if- : > ;or himself cor:;: !:-::, ■; : .-n! h'.- ; :i.-; n- scribe tint e<l what ih- ' V- •' !•;- v-K'.t hf-.hs would K-. h- io' ! hi-:, : ' i!:o-- eh-mt N'-w York, ‘I-a Timed T T- . -! V.o-.'.V (The (;j rv • >f I lie V.!. ■' ■ V, ’ o'! Paramo dr las M’lifT!'.-.' .T;-.- Te-ee-,. of Wromil ; omfhmir the I Y. V..,r!d if Hollvwood. ‘(’■mi i Ci-C; on.- tin- W-vt, 'hos IViitiCT'-' ti a new lil'itK'os' (The Inr.'t. \\ litre e:-d om- of Mexico, •MI Amdli y T .-dr-,ie- :r .-' .The Mayde and th-- To have live novels (on th> -oi.-k.. si once. together with !e--trn--. travel.-, visits and all the r- -i or o. w<-u!d have worried en It;-. ' si hj dynamo of antityiir.v. hioi.'y. he-'-ir I'-le.-co is

not writing all five of these New World novels at one and the same time, even with the help of secretary and dictograph, “I am working on them in my mind,” he explained, “and also I have made notes for them. But I will write them in Europe. in Paris or in Nice, in one or other of my houses, undisturbed, comfortable, where there will ho nothing to preoccupy me except my book.” A list of Senor Blaseo’s books, published in Spanish, certainly bears out the Lope tradition of tremendous output in its twentieth century version. Here we have eighteen novels, two volumes of short stories, two volumes of travel;- one of sketches and live more novels “in preparation.” These latter are not the five projected American novels, but are entirely independent of these. Presumably they are written and in course of publication - "La Dtosa de Ins Dos Caras” (The Two-Faced Goddess I, "I,a Vnluntad de Vivir” (The Will to Live', ‘A l.os Pies de Venus” (At the Feet of Venus', and “I.a Colina Roja” (The crimson Hillt. Such a list for a man who has barely reached the prime of life would be ample enough to suit the most energetic of writers; but these novels and stories form only a portion of bettor Blasco’s contributions to literature. A complete list, judging tty the Spanish catalogue of his works, would add between thirty and forty volumes of translations, biographies, histories, essays. &c. And all this the work of a man who has played a prominent part in the political life of his own country, and who has been an inveterate traveller, both in Europe and America! It is doubtless this cosmopolitan training of Senor Blasco’s that has given the universality of interest belonging so peculiarly to his novels The reason for his sudden and crowing popularity may not readily be put into words. One can never be certain ns to the public taste in l-.ooks m- anything, for that matter. But the intensely modern and viral themes that Senior Blasco choose- for his fiction, hi- unfailing news instinct, his ability to tell an absorbing story with telling effect, seem cause enough to explain the present supremacy of his books. Some Nesv Publications. —"Through Desert- and Oases of Central Asia,’’ is a new work by Mi.-a Ella bykes and her brother, bit- Percy bykes, who is well known its a writer m Persia. Tile book has been arranged in two part-. The first is written by Mis- Svkcs and describes a nine-montns' journey in Chine-e Turkestan and on the "Hoof of the World''; while Sir Percy is responsible for 'the later chapters, dealing with geography, history, customs of the people and other subjects. Macmillan and Co. are the publishers. Zona Hide’s new noved, "Miss Lulu Belt,” ■ published by Appletons, is the story of a young woman in a small town who makes her home with her married sister :uid becomes rite family drudge. Owen Wi.-tier's new book, "A Straight Deal or the Ancient Grudge,'' published on March 30 (Macmillan 1 aims at unity between L'.b.A. and Britain. Mr Wister sees in many qitar'ers an unn-a-oning and danger, ms prejudice against England, and it is his puroo-e to examine this feeling and to -how that there is little basts lor it in fan. An important hi-torieal study on "The Union Between Lie. and and Scotland,” by Dr A. V. Dicey and Pcolc-sor 11. b. Rail, will bo published shortly oy Macmillan and Co. Too principal points brought out in riio course of tins work are 1 I the conception of the diflei-env net ;', can 1 1 1 ;* Parlia-m-.'lit of beat lan 1 and the Parliament, of Kngland; (2 > The wty in which this difference is connected witii ihc pa.-.-mg of the Act of Union; (.’U The extraordinary i.ifl'iculty with which the pa-sing and the success of the Act of fiiioi were achieved; :1 ■ T:-. - skill with which the Whigs of Great Britain conceived of a policy which wa- at oin-i revolutionary ami ™tt J rvative; and 1.1 ■ The way in which, this policy, wiiii-t i.utiing an end to rile political independence both of England and of Scotland. create,; a reel unity of Gtcat Britain which has preserved for two centuries all that i- go,at in i.i<- nationalism cither of England or o: Scothuua