Greenery-Yallery, Grosvenor Gallery...

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 302, 6 April 1945, Page 10

Greenery-Yallery, Grosvenor Gallery...

"MR: WHISTLER MEETS MR. WILDE," a tale of the yellow years of the decadents by the New Zealand author John Gundry, was broadcast by 3YA. Mr. Gundry is clearly devoted to his theme, and handles its most entertaining aspect, the epigrams, challenges, cfitiques, and general literary back-chat, with great effect; though I should like to ask whether as a point of chronology, the giants of those years were addicted to the phrases "definitely" and ‘too, too." Perhaps Professor Sinclaire could enlighten us? This also seems a good moment to repeat the funniest (fictitious) episode of the Whistler-Wilde duets, which comes from Brahams’ and Simon’s masterly Don’t, Mr. Disraeli. Whistler (who, incidentally was a most unpleasant human being) and Wilde were reputed to say something good whenever they met; but on this occasion: "Hullo, Oscar," said Whistlér. "Hullo, Jimmie," said Wilde. They looked at each other. They thought furiously. They hurried on. But as a matter of fact, Mr. Gundry has in his main theme fallen into the characteristic error as regards Wilde, of presenting his jokes and cynicism as only a facade or mask behind which lurked a suffering humah being with a love of Nature and Mankind. It is not so: Wilde’s serious work is either Dionysiac drivel like Salome or unsuccessful emotionalism slashed with self-pity, while in a pure joke like The Importance of Being Earnest, he displayed real genius and produced a work of distilled, unalloyed, irresponsible laughter which may very well be the only piece of his creation fit to live.