PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1934, Page 24

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

The ' Chief Librarian. of the Wellington Public' Libraries';has;chosen s'The; Very Beautiful -Days,'' :by'Marcus Laue'sen, and. if And ' Grant ..;.a Leader Bold,'?, by Joseph Hocking, as-thebooks of the■"■weekjand, has' .-furnished ,;the-.:£01;. t lowingVrev&wsr >.■■'.•'■•■■?',-':'. ■•■■;: V-' f'; w-. ,'■- '■'■;., /For a longtiineno Danish autHor has 'created.such a' furore' jn! Scandinavia' as: Marcus^Laueseii. r His' ibobk ;",Wail;ing for a Ship; '.'■■■ although rejected by one. firm, was:iri:i93l-published by'-Gylden-clal, the -'largest r publishing., .house; in; Denmark.^ It received brilliant; reviews, from the leading-critcs,,- arid .hadj an! enormous- success,:' being f; published un England,. America, Germany, Italy, Holland/ and' Finland, in ; addition '; to 'the,' 'ScaHdinaviaii''..;.co'jintries'.!''-'-'_''The''.-:' novel; itself is oldr.fashioned.in 'composition, and in; action )[ but •■the;.-; style.is; broad and firm; warm' and <intense, and at times -pathetic. ■ '•'.::\'....v." .; :" . ;;, .■ And now.cpmes his latest novel, f>The ye'ry;:/Beautiful':l)kys,??/ia;almost;;the: same style^ stamping;";-,it.s author, as a; most.: important personality;- among the, youn'ger^.iPanish^Cl^H.*'?l'''^'-I^;®-'^^. beautiful days are" tiiei days : "of Indian' summer, when the,, earth (is :at, Test ~and> theheat and toils.of»harvest 'are over. Joseph' Garding,;the poet/thought that in;his;pwn'"life,:he^hadi; attained ,that' speae.e.:."> He,(had .reached ; it ;by., ruthless. | egoism,ideserting;^his!',r^fe\becauge: familylife1 irked him; .leaving his child-, ren^unprotected except j'icfr,' pecuniary. help,,.and.devoting,;himself }. entirely {) to: the furthering'of his poetic: g^hi'us:and the ordering'of"his VHfe in: peaee;'ind^ ''comfort; ■/■.■'.■■ ( ,-. v-'-'-:,v..' -.. '■:!'", ff^:- * '■'~a'-:X%-:'<'.- --': His t wife,' with' every good; reason; becomes,bitter, and is almost ; abhorred..by her''children,1 who ; in iturttv-. go ."-.their.. ■s^Ear,ate-;U^a:'-n6i:..tbo; \;:happy':.;pr-,'siio-; cfessfulj.waysi .'.The lack- ,'of; a" : .natural' backgroundfa-feelingiof insecurity in. childhood; 'have 'Had-; their i e'iteoti»-'.on/-;cac.h/'Oniß..-." / iA"i^tl'.''thefo"'.'i9".rip. kind; understanding,: and. patient father: or / mother .* f to P;whbm' ■ they -can turn;: They ■'.y'meit:':/! occasionally; ■■■<■ almost; S as! strangersj'^ithjno "icommon':'topic;bf; cbriversation^ not even their ■•:,.,father's brilliant work and steadily increasing popurafity-^f or; ,he,r; tpoj is; a .'stranger in" a world they know;not.•■•"■;.■.^' •:'■:-',■'[.■.'..' ■ ■ ■ Vs r-: Joseph; \Garding;. has a dream : about," children/T^hich makes: him curious, after, 2QT years j: .to know :what has biecome' of '.his^owhi/.-'- Eegarded by: the;world -as* a;;grjeat !and- good man;f'-he; I yet^finds, himselfj: )without;^ his^ usual; calmnesß?;in the;;face:of jtheir jtrbubles^ and;; unable^-'tdV advance^"ft tb'.;themj'j','the! [ sbuttd;philosophy, of: life w.hich s ,,he, has ■.be'ewvgiyirig|t.6/,tte'..,wprld'.*^v.-.Hbw..-/ t thi8 i difficultj^'is firiallyjibvercome/'Oand:!a! reconciliation X .effectedj'' ■<^^makes v,;r an r iii-j teriß6ly^mp.vJmg.;^'n^\.inter^»|^g.ißtgry..-;:."; *tn:spi<:e:-p^;his> fame,'1 Marcus^iaiiesen; j prefers iV stay'inV;hisx native village,' Ljt<; Kirkeby,! f' wh^ere ; he' : had ivprev vidusljr': been'eariiing'ifiis'living/chiefly byv market-gardening. ■> 'He: does notj wantvtp;get; intb the literary ■circles in; Goperitiagen^.and; endures the:air; of the; city only when; he is'there -asa guest.1 He ha? ' settled!1 >■ down to ' a,n, f almost; heifmit;like existence' in'•''his;;home,-and; there1: 'h'e'i'is 'writing; tb'thb' b,est'ipf';his ability;!fn order^^tp;i:eac&: his goal ! pi {40; novel s^fpr^hidh '* ;:he^'-; sajy's';-. he^v'hasi ! abiindan:t;^nia|eriap"\: :•.'■'■■ : ;\*. ;;■ '},:::' :c r:'^:'.'A ■ -V 'f?/i ';;:LEADEES-)#A^^ ''•/:'*?. And i 'Gran t, a' liieader' !Bpld; J ';!ne>\ iioyel byJ'iJoißeph ■Hocking,'.'^iyes 'a-pic-; *turei of;pfe?ent-day,::ytimpslin^England.; Bob; : 'Gptensp;/twenty^ title .rand'>estate,:andilpoked:-^ matchmaking,!motherlfcas ; &.\ rilbstv:elig-i iblbjyoungjbachelor/.ihas asked :Kath-: 'e'rineLyneh'am, the only ..of the'ißishop of Belgraye, to marry him.' KathyJltcsfuies; dejslaring :thatj'sJh|iß;:can-; not marry anyone• ■ who f leads • such a] useless life tas Bob. The; following: Suiiday'"Bob'! ''happens '/'to^be!;; in :th'e Htf hears,ai;jold-nian ispeaking in .the'inar-! Itet^square^'iThis iinah/ of -"^striking ap-? ,pearance',* ;;.wjt<h^'iongv:W^itft^^-hair\V'-jaiidd; beard,' "jgdes* by''the':;name':'pf Jthe.-D of Corriubia^iHe!f speaks;:';pf the-trie-mendbus-need ?o£',the('cpiintrytandjpf the world^for^^.great; leadefs;!'leaders.in the Church and,; leaders "in ■ the State. Bob' is impres.sedtbylthfeDiike^s speech, and finally' meets ; ; himJ:i He -/is; tpld;'that* he' ought": ,'iqhlos a ■leaderif'bnt;regards this as'!'n'onsense.' ■' On-rreturning'': home;1; h'pjjrever, he finds.that -, his uncle is almost bankruptj-andithat-he (Bob)-will-have to turn to. and do something.: -He bej cpmesi fast i friends with a young Presbyterian clergyman, who; having:; ...lost faith, is on thelpoint of :giving: up liis chiarch. the Oprnubia; ftn'jfS i ng^Hß^^V:.;;and^fhV;j^ex-^lergy'man; BJpharS;? T£e^hella^:cpmes people inajtes an Inieresting |tory: tf^'* m?M"- ?hW ;||-Other%tUle.s -Sselected '=4f.spnv--;-/recent 'accession lists afe;as follows -^--General i ' 'The Under world of IndiaJ ?' by Sir Gi F.MacMunn; "Scotland," : by ;B; Si Rait; "Chinese.: Testament,'' \byi Sr iTretiikigp*.''^.dylce,,to Young Ladies^'f by D[B);isilnMirpil,eting the 'F ijj^ JiJipMujrrl;^. Baudeli^e,^: by':;El' ■g|riti<e*l*'o|(wUwi?s-;;-;;iMii# by M •MpM)j-Kctio«:lSS HoneywoohfrHouse,' f. M%o&< :MiJd|pi)y*Epftgland^S?lyland^f ;the!Guide)(^^jtßen.Bolf-I^Mnrder at Griersbh; «^The^r:o^^::\^rldj|?|by- ; A. iPhill--potts; f' The: GucstsriA'rriyey'.' by; Cecil Koberts"}:."The Master fpl iSestviken,'f by S.Undsetj'fFalse; Morning," bjr : Kathleen-;. Norris.^i-ft^ii^ti-pi;";.' X-;-; ■'"?'