THE WORLD OF BOOKS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19114, 24 September 1927, Page 13

THE WORLD OF BOOKS.

HALF HOURS IN A LIBRARY. (specially written job the press.) By A. H. Grlvling. CCXXXVL—ON THE KEAL GEORGE , GISSING (2). Nothing more pathetic has ever been penned than the sentences in the letters from Gissing to his brothers detailing his hopes and fears in respect of his first novel, "Workers in the Dawn." Gissing- was only three months past his twenty-second birthday when he wrote to his brother, Will, under date February 2Cth, 1880:—"Write this a red day in your private calendar: for to-day at 12 o'clock, Hal, I signed an agreement with Remington and Co., for the publication of 'Workers in the Dawn.' Yes, it is really to see the light, it will be published either at the end of next month or the beginning of April, in three volumes, price one guinea. . The terms are these. First of all, the advertising expenses- (about £2O) are, to be deducted from produce of sale, after which I have two-thirds of all profits. Not bad, is it? Do not entertain great hopes from the financial results for 1 know very well the book cannot be popular, like Dickens or Miss Braddon, or Mrs Henry Wood. There is much of desperate "seriousness in it, and it must be accepted by intellectual people, if at all. The settlements are to be twice a year, June 30th, and December 31st, but I fear there will be little to show in June. The publisher tells me his reader's opinion of the book is high; but, of course, one cannot reckon on that, as the opinion of so many other readers have been desperately low."

Gissing exhorted his brother to keep his spirits up, and said, "I myself am in desperate exaltation just now, perhaps foolishly so. Never mind, it helps me on with my work. I shall, of course, begin a new novel at once, and it will be of a far more popular character. If it is successful, of course, it will thrpw back its success on the first work. Surely I must derive some profit from my 1 labour." On the same day he wrote to his brother Algernon, telling him the news and saying, "I have this evening been preparing the first volume for the press where it will go immediately. The. correction of proofs will be a serious, but pleasant, labour. Of course, I shall begin a second novel at once." On March 11th he wrote to Will:—"1 have been very'busy of late. This morning I havo sent back the second batch of proof sheets, completing the first three chapters. Remington wanted me to reduce the book, seeing that it would be vastly longer than the average novel of the day, but I told him that "this would be impossible save by rewriting it. and so the. printing goes ahead. I get on with my new work, the name of which I scarcely yet know. I hope to finish it by the end of May."

Gissing seems to have kept a keen eye on the reviews, for in the same letter he says:—"My book is sure of a certain number of friends in the critical world, inasmuch as it will assuredly have violent enemies. One or two of our weeklies, e.g., the 'Athenseum' and the 'Academy,' give very reasonable critiques of the new novels each week, and I hope for decent handling. . Yet it is amusing to see how often, these two papers contradict each other in their verdicts. Some of the publishers' advertising tricks are curious. You know it is usual to extract passages from favourable reviews and insert them in advertisements. A few weeks ago I read a review of , a new novel by Ouida, written in a fiercely ironical vein and, behold, shortly after I came across a few passages from the same review inserted —perhaps innocently—as laudatory criticism." Writing a few days later, Gissing says:

Of my new novel I have written eight chapters—about half the first volume. I progress but slowly, for on reading the proofs of "Workers in the Dawn' I am dissatisfied with much, and see how gteatly I might hare improved my work, had I taken more time over it. Now I spend hour after hour in thinking of my characters and making their very forms, looks, tones absolutely vivid before my mental eye. By-the-by,. can you and Will excogitate for me a title? The subject of the novel 1 is the. dissipation of illusions, the destruction of ideals, in short the failure of. a number o£ people to gain ends they have set up for their lives, or if they do gain them, their failure to find the enjoyment they expected. 1 have thought of 'Will o' the Wist/s,' but on second thoughts I suppose that ought to be 'Wills o' the Wisp,' and that is awkward. Try and think of something for me."

In Anril, 1880, William Gissing died suddenly. He had only just passed his twentieth birthday. George felt the blow, and writing to Algernon, lie said. "At present it is a constant subject or grave thought' with me to what special study I shall especially devote myself. To be a mere dilletante in everything by no mean accords with my humour, and as one cannot be omniverous it is a very serious question, what especial branch I shall take up with the view of effecting something real. Of course, this, has nothing to do with my novelwriting, that I shall pursue always, inasmuch as I feel a special aptitude for it, and will, it is to be hoped, prove my material staff in life. The study of which I speak is to be taken up for my own satisfaction, for the sake oi developing my manhood as far as in me lies. He is but a poor fellow, s<s I am sure you will grant, who studies with no object save mere bread winning." On May 30th, his novel being at last published, Gissing wrote to Algernon :

I was glad to hear you received my three formidable volumes so speedily. I shall be very curious to hear your detailed criticism Much of the book I can hardly expect you to approve and I feel you will think the tendency very gloomy. Well, that is owing to ray temperament and the special mood in which it was written. If you knew much of my daily life you.would wonder that I write at all to say nothing of writing cheerfully. But in that book I have so to speak "written off" a whole period of my existence. My next book will be very different. I have passed beyond the stage at which it was possible for me to write ;ust such a book ai "Workers."

Acknowledging the efforts put forth by some friends in Wakefield to secure a" circulation of his novel, Gissing outlines his. idea in writing it. "The book in the first place," he remarks, "is not a novel in the generally accepted sense of the word_ but a very strong (possibly too plain spoken) attack upon certain features of our present religious and social life, which to me appear highly condemnable. First and fore-

most I attack tlie criminal negligence of Governments which spend their time over matters of relatively no importance, to the neglect of the terrible social evils which should have been long since sternly grappled with. Herein I am a mouthpiece of the advanced Radical Party. As regards religious matters, I plainly seek to show the nobility of a faith dispensing with all we are accustomed to call religion, and having for its only creed a belief in the possibility of intellectual and moral progress. Hence it follows that I attack (somewhat savagely) the modern development of Ritualism, which, of course, is the absolute antithesis of my faith. In doing all this I have been obliged to touch upon matters which will be only sufferable to those who read the book in as serious a spirit as mine when I wrote it. It is not a book for women and children, but for thinking and struggling men. If readers can put faith in the desperate sinceiity of the author they will not be disgusted with the book; otherwise, it is far better thev should not rend it ... I fear it is the fate of some men to incur odium by their opinions, but the odium is only cast by those who cannot realise the sincerity of minds differently constituted from their own."

In June, the '''Athenreum'' published a review which Gissing found "rather attractive." The critic did the anthor the justice of believing in his sincerity, and even said that the book might do good. "Such a long review in the 'Athenaeum,' " remarks Gissing", "is rather a. compliment." Gissing sent a copy of the novel to Frederic Harrison, who sent a long letter in reply; in addition, he wrote to eight literary friends about Gissing's book, five of fliem. being editors of good papers. Frederic Harrison's letter, which was a long one, commenced in the following way :

There can be no doubt as to the power of your book. It will tako rank amongst the v/orka of great rank of tiieso years. . . It belongs to a school of which I know nothing and which 1 had kept at arm's length, at least I think so. lam no critic and very rarely read a modern ioniance, and I especially hate the so-called realism ot Zola. Bat your painting of dark life seems to me as good as his, and to havo a better social purpose—at least I hope so. I am, as 1 say, very little experienced in judging fiction and I make no pretensions to judge at all work so full of power both in imagination and in expression as your story. It has most deeply stirred and impressed me by its creative energy. . . It kept me out of bed a large part of last night-I took it up after my work, and that is what very few books have done for many years.

Frederic Harrison went on to say: "I am not sure that the social and moral aim is sufficiently sincere, or rather sufficiently strong, to justify the deliberate painting of so much brutality. Perhaps it is. 1 have not yet read enough to see what your moral and social aim exactly is. I am the last person who ought to pretend to judge such a book, for I loath books of the 'Assommoir' class, and never open them 1 , nor indeed modern fiction, except on rare occasions. Your book, therefore, goes against all my sympathies m art, so that my admiration for its imaginative power is wrung from me. Whether prostitutes, thieves, and debauchees talk as you make them talk in the night-houses of the Haymarket, 1 do not know, nor wish to know. It is possible that they are introduced for good purpose. I will try to see it.' The letter concludes:—

You may be sure of this—your book cannot be lost sight of. Do not be in a "hurry. Books like this are not often written in England though they sometimes are'in France. You will be neglected for a few months, abused for two or three, and in six have a distinct but not altogether tranquil reputation.

Gissing records that he dined twice with Frederic Harrison, "who is doing very much for my book. Then he introduced me to John Morley, who has asked me to write both for the 'Pall Mall Gazette' and the 'Fortnightly.' Morley made Matthew Arnold read it. And his brother remarks: "All this sounded hopeful enough, and no doubt in many cases would have meant that the tide had actually turned. But temperament, no less than distressing domestic circumstances, robbed Gissing of all material advantages from th.is unbounded kindness of Mr Frederic Harrison. It is idle to speculate on what, the young author might have done had he been personally free to battle with poverty only. Certainly Sam Johnson himself could not live and work on less. But as it was, Gissing had for ever to lament that he was incapable of journalistic work, and no less of congenial social life, if he was to apply himself to literary work at all. So clenression again soon overtook Tiim.'' The final tragedy was expressed in Gissing's explanation: "Eemington horrifies me by saying thai only 29 copies are sold. I fear the book is having no sale at all. Yet you will see it will have some day." This was written in August, 1880: today, nenrlv fifty years latfr, the book is out nf print and virtually unobtainable. Oh. for an enterprising publisher to issue a new edition of "Workers in the Dawn."