...With... BOOK and VERSE

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 38, 3 April 1931, Unnumbered Page

...With... BOOK and VERSE

By

John O'Dreams

"QTRANGE INTERLUDD," that ~ frank and powerful play, revealing without fear or favour the complesities of a woman’s heart, is being -esented in London, where one judges IQ will raise much comment. The American playwright limns his puppets with bold strokes, and never at any time hesitates to call a spade a spade. It will be interesting. to hear what the London Press has to say anent- the frankly physical nature of many of the episodes and much of the talk. The play is in nine acts, will start at six, and there will be an interval for dinner between 8 and 9 Mr. O’Neill has employed the method, for the greater understanding of unravelling .of plot and character, of permitting -his characters to utter their thoughts sotto voce, and interlard these manifestations of their inner selves among speech and action of the play proper. A doubtful experiment, but apparently a successful one. ; * a mR ER. DEREK PATMORE, who is the great-grandson of Coventry Patmore, the author of "The Angel in the House, has just completed a life of his distinguished forbear, which will be published shortly. % * * "D=2TECTIVE DAYS" is not the latest example of the Edgar Wallace type of fiction, but a sober chronicle by Detective-Inspector Wesnley of forty odd years in the police force. With his wealth of material, and extensive acquaintance with criminals of all sorts and conditions, this should be a human document of absorbing interest, especially to those (and they afe many) who are interested in the olution of crime and the tracking down thereof."

"A NENT the precent-day trend of much of the fiction published, a disgruntled mere man writes thus in a well-known English weekly: "The deservedly popular success of Mr. Priestley’s ‘Good ‘Companions’ may be the one straw that indicates the way the ‘gust of novel reading is blowing. The modern novel has too often been no moré than episodes in the lives of persons with ill-regulated passions, or of pup. pets whirled into amazing situations, by a tornado of improbable events. The ‘regiment of women writers dishes up heroines who should have been shut up in Iunatie asylums, or have had their ears ‘severely boxed ‘for being egrégious egoists without an idea ‘beyond sex satisfaction." Not perhaps very gracefully expressed, but there’s something in what he says.

R. RUDYARD KIPLING’S new novel, entitled "William the Cone queror," will appear simultaneously in the American "Ladies’ Home Journal" and English "Gentlewoman." * & * THE annual prize, known as The Femina Vie Hereuse Prize, of £40 is presented: by the French magazine Femina, on the award of a committee, for the best work of imagination in English, published during the year by an author whose work has hitherto, in the opinion of the committee, received. insufficient recognition. This year, we learn from the "Bookman" the books recommended by the Paris committee are: "Miss Mole," by E. H. Young; "High Wind in Jamaica," by Richard Hughes; and "Three Daughters," by Jane Dashwood. Truly this is a trio of brilliant originality and interest, aud it will be interesting to know the decision of the committee in what will be a very arduous task, for all three of the chosen novels are of outstanding quality. * * XIFTED with ineffable spirituality and magical power of expression, Mr. Walter de la Mare is pre-eminently fitted to: write of the wonderful years when the soul is in bud. Most wisely, his publishers have now collected into one yolume entitled "Poems for Children." all his writings anent the short and fleeting span of youth. Mr. de Jae Mare’s purity of vision, psychic quality. und communion with forces beyond mundane mentality of rank and file of humanity, render him peculiarly well fitted to vocalise youth’s radiance, and «rystallise into poetry the sighing of sea and stars. But his verse, dewy and innocent and other-world, must be approached in the true spirit, with an endeavour to recapture the "first, fine, careless rapture" of dawning days, flitting emotions, dreams, and passionate regrets thut go to make the heart of a child.

ue prize of half a guinea in the current competition is awarded to D.P., for "The Master," in which an idea of beauty is presented in poetic phraseology. We congratulate our contributor on this lovely fragment; and also select for special commendation ‘Nocturne," by R.B.C., this being an arresting impression of the mystery of night, couched in unusual and successful verse form, though not quite so artistic an effort as that of the prize-winner. "Pauline’: Many of the great ones of the earth have sought inspiration im the festival of the holy Easter-tide. A noble subject, but you fall into bathos. "Merrie": "The Moon" is the better of the two poems submitted, and tinkles along prettily enough. "Memories" is somewhat hazy in expression. "Weary Willie" : Sentiment admirable, but something more is required to crystallise emotion into poetry. We suggest study of the achievement of more skilful versifiers, O.M.: Your work holds a quality of originality. Of your poems we prefer "Heart of Stone," which gives evidence of creative thought coupled with certaiv adequacy of expression. Dale St. Maur: "Post Mortem" arrests by virtue of gruesome subject, aptly enhanced by verse form selected. Your Triolet is not altogether a successful essay in that particular genre. "In the Hop Gardens" goes with a will and is all for the out-of-doors, but it is not poetry. Par exemple: Hieing ‘batchwards, homewards, hieing, hieing, hieing, Soon the sleep of hoppers with sleep of babes is vieing ! Fairlie: Much vain repetition. "Qorelei": The roseate hues of early dawn recur once more, but without success. "John o’? Groats": A rush of words signifying nothing. "Flag-wayer"’: Not a hope!