THE OLD ENMITY

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 97, 22 October 1934, Page 3

THE OLD ENMITY

CRITICS AND AUTHORS

IS REVIEWING FALLING OFF?

ONE MAN'S DEFENCE

1 Frequently I hear that wo arc going ) to the dogs—in ono way or another, 3 writes Allan Monkhouse in the "Mani Chester Guardian." Sometimes it is 3'that we are on the eve of a European - war that will obliterate civilisation, but - I think it is likely that an odd copy i of Shakespeare might survive in some . remote village and give a start to the s post-cataclysm age. In reading my - copy of the "Bookseller" I find that wo are beset by many and formidable dangers. Look at reviewing, for instance. Mr. Walpolo says that no one 1 can question the fact that reviewing has ' lamentably declined during the last ' thirty years. Mr. Priestley goes i'ur- [ ther. He haa said that "the number of ■ contemporary reviewers about whose ! opinion an'"intelligent author cares a ' tinkor's curse is dwindling and dwind- ' ling and you could easily count them ■ on your fingers." / l"do not like to accuse these eminent authors of talkiug nonsense, but as a reviewer of over thirty years' standing I should like to register a humble protest. It may bo that during this last thirty years my own mental decrepitude or creeping senility has mado me incapable of perceiving the deterioration of my fellows. Yet it is curious to reflect "that Mr. Walpole and _Mr. Priestley owe their eminent positions in the world of letters largely 1o the recognition of their talents by the reviewers they despise. I have had a considerable experience of reviewers and reviewing, and I continue to be impressed by the high quality of much of what I read in daily ai:d weekjy papers. j SHOULD BE TOUGH. Perhaps this is all a, mistake or a scries of mistakes. The reviewer should be pretty well toughened to insults by this time and perhaps it is part of the policy of the book societies to depreciate him. Possibly the members of these believe that they aro being saved by the monthly selections from the incompetence of the reviewers; tho case for the societies might be fortified by prooi that their opinions are more valuable than those of the ruck of reviewers. And now a masked attack comes from another quarter. Books aro sometimes sent out by publishers with blurbs made up- of eulogies by distinguished people who have read tho books before publication. I think there is danger that the supply of these might become a great nuisance to tho distinguished persons; they are, of course, a menace to tho reviewer, who warmly resents a preliminary indication of tho kind of review expected of him. Mr. Walpole laments tho disappearance of such serious critics as Saints: bury and Gosse and I should bo sorry to say anything in depreciation of those eminent men. But —with a slight modification of Lady Macbeth's meaning— "in them iiaturo's copy's not eterne." It is just a little amusing that we should be beaten with this stick. I do not know what Gosse thought of his fellow-reviewers, but I recollect a wholesale condemnation of tho contemporary novel. It is easy to find matter to condemn; there is a case against everything. A practical point, worth ventilating, is that reviewing is sometimes badly paid. That is one. of the causes assigned for its inferiority. I dare say there is something in that. Young amateurs are ready to review at any price or no price; but incompetent young amateurs aro not welcomed on the best papers. And then thero is tho point that there aro tar too many publications for reviewers to Seal with adequately. ALMOST STAGGERING. Those beneficent book societies may help to keep the numbers down When they are completely successful there will be nothing but best-sellers. Certainly the number of new publications is almost staggering. Yet an article in tho "Booksellor" points out, that the number.is far greater in Soviet Kussia. The article should bo read by those who are particularly interested in Kussian developments. I cannot grasp all tho implications, but it appears that during 1931 the books published an Kussia almost equalled the combined total of Germany, Great Britain, the United States, and France. I understand, however, that many of the Russian books are "proletarian," and that they are often on a small scale and for.limited circulation. The great majority are on sociology and applied sciences. Doubtless many arc related to the Five-Year For one reason or another there is, we aro told, alarm and despondency in the London book trade, the_ chief trouble being in tho falling-ofi m the sales of novels and general literature. Mr Swinnerton contributes an article to the "Bookseller" and begins by asking whether authors and booksellers aro enemies. It is not quite so bad as that, but there seems to be some disparity of opinion about the division of profits. Tho young author is dissatisfied with tho efforts-or want of effort—of tho bookseller to stock and recommend his works, but the bookseller finds it safer and easier to do his trado in established favourites. But "no author is ever grateful to nis publishers or the booksellers ; what is worse, "tho country does not pride itself upon its literature." Here Mr. Swinnerton gets into line with Mr. Stanley Unwin, who "has insisted that the low standing of English publishers is a menace to the whole trade." I have always felt very respectful towards publishers and 1 am in favour of their being represented in the House of Lords. FROM THE PROSPEROUS. A curious feature about the jeremiads is that they come so frequently from individuals who are getting on very well. I turn to an interesting periodical called "Tomorrow," which is modestly described as "Tho Journal of Living and Learning," and there I find an article on the drama by Mr. James Bridie,, who is, I believe, deservedly one of the most successful of contemporary dramatists. But his sympathies aro too wide to permit anything liko particular rejoicing. He speaks about the slate of the drama very much as though ho were ono of the poor devils who cannot get a manager to look at them. He finds the great trouble to bo that tho drama now depends on the caprice of the West End —a "highly specialised population," inhabiting a few square miles, which suffers from "neuroses brought on by continuous noiso and late hours and unsuitable beverages." The conditions are such, it appears, that circumstances "may load suddenly to tho bankruptcy or suicide of the manager." This seems bad, but Mr. Bridie does give us a gleam of hope. "It might be worth while to induce authors and actors to leave London and submit themselves to the soberer judgment of big provincial circuits." Wo shall be delighted to see them in Manchester, and it will be pleasant to have a repertory theatro in every suburb. An infusion of Cockney to a reasonable amount might be permitted. And, of course, Lancashire and Yorkshire would take possession of the vacated London theatres. Tho danger is that the neurotic Londoners might follow their favourites dowa here,