LITERARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 54, 5 March 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

LITERARY NOTES.

Our London correspondent writes

Mr John Farrell's poem on the Queen's Jubilee, 'Australia to England,' receives a favourable criticism from the 'Athenaeum,' Avhich considers it stronger and more restrained than Australian poetry is wont to be. The 'Athenaeum' quotes Avith approval the graphic description of the Jubilee Procession Avith the 'HeaAnng sea of life that beats Like England's heart of pride to-day, And up from roaring miles of streets, Flings on the roof its human spray,' and looks forward Avith 'more than common interest' to the author's next work. About the quickest Avriter in London is Mrs C. N. Williamson, who is said to write on an average 30,000 words a Aveek. Her 'Fortune's Fool' appearing as a fenilleton in the 'Daily Mail' is a thrilling- story. Her 'Barn-stormers,' a sprightly story of a loav theatrical companjr's experiences on tour in the States, contains plenty of incident and American humour, but the heroine, Monica, a pleasantly fresh English girl, who becomes a member of the Barn-stormers, shows that the author has gained her experience among our American cousins. Mrs Williamson is busy gathering material for the story of a newspaper girl. The Hon. W. P. Peeves, AgentGeneral for NeAV Zealand, is writing, for publication in March, a story of his colony for 'The Story of the Empire' series edited by Howard A. Kennedy. Mr G. W. Steevens, whose descriptive articles in the 'Daily Mail' on the American Presidential Election, the Jubilee festivities, the Graeco-Turkish War and Germany have raised him to the position of London's foremost journalist, is spending the winter in Egypt, where, in collaboration with Mr Grant Richards, be is preparing what—so far as I know —is his first

novel. The subject is life, in aacient Eome and Egypt. In addition he t contributing another series of artioio to the 'Daily Mail' under the at£ five heading of 'the Diary of a Sun* seeker.'

Mane Corelli's latest appearance in public is in the 'La Poupee' souvenir from the Prince of Wales theatre and for once she falls foul of no one.' She finds in the hero of the opera the stock type of society, a gooddookin«noodle, who seeks a doll and finds~ a woman. . ~"

The 'Academy' has crowned the two foremost books of 1597, and after much difficulty in making up its mind has awarded one hundred guineas to Mr Stephen Phillips for his 'Poems' and fifty guineas to Mr William Ernest Henley for his 'Essay on the Life, Genius, and Achievement of Burns.' The purpose of the awards was to select tAvo of the best hooks of the year irrespective of the. age .or standing of the authors, 'excellence of performance' being preferred above 'richness of promise.' The rivals oi Phillips in the eyes of the 'Academy' Avere Francis Thomson, Avhose Avork it considered 'a series of magnificentexperiments,' William Watson, whose 'Hope of the World' shoAved a decline from his previous poems, and Henry Newbolt, whose 'Admirals All' were not held quite Avorthy of the honour of 'coronation.' Henley's essay more than held its OAvn against W. P. Iveps 'Epic and Romance, Walter Ealeigh's 'Style,' and Arthur Symonds' 'Studies in Literature.' Other Avorks worthy of consideration AA-ere Joseph Conrad's 'Nigger of the Narcissus,' 'too slight and episodic,' Benjamin Swift's 'The Tormentor,' Kipling's 'Captains Courageous,' W. W. Jacobs' 'The Skipper's Wooing,' Miss Coleridge's 'The King With Tavo Faces,' Mme. Darmesteter's 'Life of Penan,' and Mrs Constance Garnett's translation of Turgenev's novels. 'The author of "St. Ives,"says the 'Academy,' 'is, alas, dead,' Avhile Mrs Craigie, who, by the way, states that she adopted the name oi John Oliver Hobbes to keep her from being too sentimental, did not Avipb her 'School for Saints,' a copy of which has been accepted by the Queen, to be entered for competition.

However divergent may be the opinions of literatteurs on the qualities of the A-arious books of the year, it must be admitted- that the 'Academy' has chosen tAvo books of signal merit. Phillips' poems, in addition to the grandeur of achievement, exhibit, to a marked degree, the 'richness of promise.' Henley's essay, on the other hand, probably represents this veteran's high-water mark.

Air Phillips, who is quite a young man, finding preparation for the Civil Service deadening to his muse, took up acting, and played several Shakesperean parts with his cousin, Frank Benson. Poetry then claimed him for her own, and he became a frequent contributor to the 'Spectator,' at the same time lecturing' on English poetry at Messrs Wolfram and Needham's Army Classes at Lee. With the appearance of his 'Christ in Hades,' 'a Avonderful dream which stirs the heart in every line,' he was hailed as a true poet. While taking Tennyson as his model, he has struck a full original and melodious note of his own. Dignity of thought, picturesqueness ol imagery, a wonderful knoAvledge ol love of humanity and nature mark his tAvo classics, 'Marpessa' and 'Christ in Hades.' 'Marpessa' is the beautiful tale of a maiden g-iven her choice between the god Apollo and the mortal Idas. Each in turn avoos her, Apollo ottering her the glory of immortality, Idas only the varied joy and gloom of mortal love. Marpessa Avould not 'forego the doom, the place,

Whither my poets and my heroes went Before me.

'Immortality without one sigh' -is alien

to her for she declares, 'Yet I being human, human sorroAV miss. The half of music, I have heard men say. Is to have grieved.' She and Idas will live

together and 'grow old Together, and he shall not greatly miss My bloom faded, and waning light ol

eyes, Too deeply gazed in ever to seem dim.'

'Christ in Hades' pictures AA-ith impressive simplicity the visit of the Saviour to the 'excluded ghosts in<, Hades,' Avdio in the sudden cessation of their torments gather round Him, imploring Him to lead 'them 'only to look Upon the wonderful sunlight, and to smell i Earth' in the rain.' But Avith the sight of unredeemed Prometheus on his crag Christ knows 'that for a time the great advance he must delay.' The dead wander off And each man took his penance up perhaps Less easily from such an interval; The A'ault closed back, woe upon avoc the Avheel Re\'olved, the stone rebounded; for (? from) that time Hades her interrupted life resumed. 'Under the Dragon Flag' may not be literature, but'all the same it's a thrilling narrative AAdiich those of weak nerves had better avoid. Its author relates freely in 120 pages how, having run through £80,000 in four years, he shipped on an American blockade runner carrying ammunition to. the Chinese during the Chino-Japanese War. • The steamer is, stuck up by a Jap iron-clad and searched, ammunition is discovered, and ber skipper in desperation throws overboard the Japanese officer and his men who have boarded her, and es« capes under a heavy fire, which kills five of his creAv. James Allan, the narrator, after witnessing the battle of the Yalu, is by some drunken mistake left behind at Port Arthur, and going off in a despatch boat, Avhich i% sunk by a Japanese gun-boat, finds himself a prisoner for a month. Eventually he swims about a mile-to the shore", exposed to the fire of the gun-boat and the Chinese fort. He next observes the taking of PortArthur and the 'diabolical orgy o* murder and mutilation' that followed, and from which he escapes himseli by the skin of his teeth. A Japanese soldier pursues him to a house and pins his clothes to the wall with a bayonet thrust, but before the Jap can withdraw his weapon Mr Allan splits his skull with a hatchet ana soon dons his assailant's uniform, except the cap, Avhich, he naively remarks, 'had been bisected along witn his head.' More hair-breadth escapes follow, including the author's slaying a Japanese officer with the soldiers bayonet. Says Mr Allan, 'He fell at once where he stood, but attempts to rise again, when I gave him another prick which settled his business, une of the heads above (impaled Chinee heads on a counter) AA'as shaken ou its spike by the concussion and str"s£ him on the shoulder as he fell, sieves, opening and shutting convulsively, seemed to gaze upon w ghastly object. He groaned again, and in a few moments was deam Finally Mr Allan, thanks to his san« froid, escapes in a Chinese junk, an writes his little narrative to *urnl* 'not merely entertainment (save mark!) but admonition.' _. ~-