Books Reviewed

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 299, 9 March 1928, Page 14

Books Reviewed

ENGLISH SHORT STORIES. Thousands of people who like good short stories have got into the habit, now, o£ expecting Edward J. O’Brien’s annual collections, published by Jonathan Cape. "The Best Short Stories of 1927 (English)’’ is a great success, especially, perhaps, in putting a few very promising new names before the public. Look 'out for anything by H. E. Bates, whose “Fear” in this volume is a flash of beautiful and pitiful insight into an old man’s sudden realisation of death’s nearness. There are others, too, either unknown or little known. The old hands are so-so. Stacy Aumonier a little slower and less deft than usual; J. D. Beresford very sound; R. H. Mottram strangely unsatisfying -—his character and the character’s illusion and the leading up to it don’t lit at all; Lennox Robinson very good, and Desmond McCarthy’s sketch of a youth who had slipped into a faux pas and was overwhelmingly punished, so that he became “the most miserable ®f men,” is an exquisitely turned trifle, its final twist being perfect. “The ’Cello,” by “T. G. G.-A.,” is another very good sketch, of a profoundly different kind. ’ Thi3 book is worth buying, and keeping. “The Best Short Stories of 1927. I: English.’* Edited by Edward J. O’Brien. Jonathan Cape, Ltd. Our copy from the publishers. American Short Stories. This annual volume of American short stories, companion to the annual volume of English stories, also edited by Edward J. O’Brien, naturally invites comparison. And we believe it bears out what has sometimes been said, that the American short story writers work closer to a type—call it the magazine type—than the English. They are very neat, they have a punch, and they time and place it with the most nicely calculated effect, they are substantial, tangible, comprehensible. They do not —like a story by de la Mare, or even, sometimes, Coppard, or E. M. Forster, or Katharine Mansfield —withdraw the guiding hand and leave you, in the halflight, to find the w r ay home. There are fewer studies of mind and character in lonely stillness, before action and after action. Tchehov has not

yet been read to bits in America. But to whatever extent this is true, in general and of particular stories, the average reader will probably enjoy himself more among the American stories chan among the English. Craftsmanship scores many a point ovei art, too sensitively discontented with the old, well-tried devices. Who can steel himself against the pathos of “Vienna Roast,** with its hopeless ending tha; has been “sticking out a mile” all the way through? Who is surprised by the slick, cynical ending of “Three Lumps of Sugar,” yet who does not appreciate it? There are 20 stories in this book, and every one of them has very definite merits; but Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers” is by far the most striking and original. It is told in that stark, matter-of-fact manner which he has now almost perfected, especially in dialogue; and the effect is tremendous —all the more so since each character separately seems so insignificant. One would pass each of them in the street, .and not glance twice. Yet here they are, holding one in a painful anxiety of interest: three men who know another is to be killed, two who are to kill him, one who knows he is to be killed. “Thu Best Short Stories of 1927. 2: American.” Edited by Edward ,7. O’Brien. •Jonathan Cape, Ltd. Our copy from the publishers. An Island Romance Australia and New Zealand have long suffered under the reproach that they are dependent upon writers in other countries to produce good stories with a colonial setting. The reproach is not altogether deserved, and further evidence in support of this contention is adduced by the publication of “A Girl of the Islands,” by Mr. J. M. Walsh. Admittedly the author has been content to wander along a well-trodden track in modern fiction, but he shows distinct individuality and, incidentally, flings Kipling’s celebrated dictum to the winds. A vivid and convincing tale. “A Ciirl of the Islands.” Cornstalk Publishing Company. Our copy from Angus and Robertson, Ltd., Sydney. Advice on Choice of Career A book of inspiration and encouragement for young people starting out in life. That is how “On Leaving School,” by Sir Charles Cheers Wakefield, Bart., may best be described. The book covers a wide field with a particular appeal to parents and young people. While it provides in its outlook a corrective to the conception of “success” as wholly material, it also contains many practical hints of value, the fruit of experience and observation. The chapter upon the need for fluent and intelligent command of English in speech and writing is practical and helpful, as are those surveying possible careers for young men and women.

The author is well qualified by his j varied experience, to write upon the j subject of success in life. Sir Charles was one of the pioneers of the lubricating oil industry in Great Britain. He is also a director of one of the great insurance companies. London has been his home for many years, and he takes an active share in its government, having been alderman of his ward since 1908. He filled the high office of Lord Mayor of London in the strenuous 1915-16 period. “On Leaving School” has already run through several editions in England. “On Leaving School.” Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd.. London. The Old and the New in Borneo. The versatile Owen Rutter, who already numbers biography, books of travel, fairy tales, verse, and fiction among his contributions to literature, has written another novel which has British North Borneo as its setting. Though it may fall short of some readers’ expectations —its love interest is not of the usual kind —it is in many ways the most satisfying story that Mr Rutter has written yet, in effect a picture of the passing of the old and the coming of the new rule, and habits which have followed trade and the flag in Borneo, as in many other oncesavage countries. A British official is cast as the narrator of the story; but the real hero is a young Malay prince who fought a hopeless battle against the encroaching tide of civilisation. is heroic yet tragic character is sharply etched. Skill in characterisation indeed, is one of Mr Rutter’s virtues. Another is his