NEW ZEALAND VERSE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 83, 24 January 1941, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND VERSE

Sir,-In his criticism of Anton Vogt’s poems a few weeks ago, J.G.M. said: " One thing I am thankful Yor-there is only one dose of New Zealand atmosphere in the whole collection. It is a healthy sign; yet another New Zealand poet is refusing to write for New Zealand alone." I find it hard to see how the avoidance of familiar and understood atmosphere will give a New Zealand writer a wider appeal. A sincere and resolute attempt at putting the New Zealand scene into words might accomplish much. (By this I do not mean that the rata and clematis should be dragged in indiscriminately. William Saroyan is no less an American writer because he seldom mentions Forty second Street or the Grand Canyon). Such writers as Dreiser, Dos Passos, Faulkner and Steinbeck, to mention only a few, concentrate almost exclusively on the American scene and yet no one could pretend that they are read solely by Americans. "War and Peace" could only have been written by a Russian, but this has not prevented its translation into many languages and its appreciation by thousands of outside readers. To revert to another form-Gauguin, if he worked for anyone but himself,’ certainly did not do so for the sole pleasure of the inhabitants >f a small South Sea island, while Van Gogh’s frenzy has probably never been appreciated by ‘the’ potatoeaters or the workers in the fields round Arles. Following the same argument it seems clear that they will never be able to write for anyone outside New Zealand until our artists and writers learn to

/ write for those | that live’ within, —

ISOBEL

ANDREWS

(Wellington),

WHOSE FAULT ? Sir,-Having had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Mr. Noel Coward several times I very much looked forward to his advertised broadcasts over National stations on Saturday, January 4; also tonight, Friday, January 10. On neither occasion did he broadcast, and no word of apology or regret was given. Doubtless there were excellent reasons for postponement or cancellation and the matter may have been mentioned over the air earlier on each day, but I practically confine myself to shortwave, and it would surely have been courteous to have given some explanation to-night at 7.45 p.m. in place of merely playing gramophone records. The moral seems to be: "Stick to short-

wave:

A. C.

EAMES

(Kerikeri).

(A correspondent who neither reads the official broadcasting journal nor listens to the news from the broadcasting stations can hardly expect our sympathy if he loses contact with events. Mr. Coward’s illness, and the consequent disturbance of his itinerary, have been announced in at least three issues of The Listener. We cannot undertake to supply intuitional warnings as well.-Ed.)