TASTES IN NOVELS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21325, 28 October 1932, Page 14

TASTES IN NOVELS

RECENT CHANGES NOTED) BETTER TYPES OF BOOKS IMPRESSIONS OF MISS MANDER That there are fashions in books just as there are fashions' in clothing is evident from observations made by Miss Jane Mander, the well-known Now Zealand authoress, who returned by the Rangitiki yesterday after an absence abroad of 20 years, 11 of which were spent in New York and the last nine in London. Miss Mander. who was born in Auckland, is staying with her father, Mr. F. Mander, and she expects to remain here indefinitely. Miss Mander has already had six books published and has been commissioned by a London publisher to write another novel of New Zealand life; for which she intends to collect material almost immediately. Miss Mander has three qualifications which make her opinions with regard to books and writers of particular value, for besides having written novels herself, she has for the past eight years been reading manuscripts for a London literary agent and for different publishers, and she knows personally a large number of well-known writers. She is the only New Zealand writer to have had the honour of being a special guest at the famous Fen Club, in London, of which John 'Galsworthy is the president. Another interesting work which Miss Mander undertook for three years was the English editorship of a private printing press in Paris for the production of rare editions. Large Salo of Good Books Miss Mander said there had lately sprung up in England a great demand for the very long family novel, such as ' Clemcnce Dane's "Browne Stages" and Kate O'Brien's "Without My Cloak." Good books of this type had experienced enormous sales in London during the past two or three years. Another type of book j which had become popular was that in j which the story was laid in a foreign country, a fine Chinese novel by Pearl 1 Buck, entitled "The Good Earth," being one ecample. In the last two years an enormous number of Continental novels had been translated into English and were proving very popular at Home. The detective novel and the war book were both showing signs of dropping a little in popularity. "There is coming rather a revolution against the cheap modern novel," Miss Mander said., "Some of the better publishers are definitely out to try and get better work, and a most cheering thing in the modern novel world is the fact that such very good books have had such large .sales in the last half-dozen years." The modern publishing methods had educated a larger number of people to read novels. There was an immense amount of book publishing done in England now, the business having become a huge industry in London.. "The Society Journalist" The difficulty which authors- from the colonies experienced in having their work accepted was mentioned by Miss Mander, who said the very large number of promising young English writers was one of the factors militating against the success of outsiders. It was found that the work of many South African, Canadian, Australian and Nevf Zealand writers was rather crude as compared with much of the'very beautiful work done by authors in England. There was one Australian authoress, .however, Henry Handel Richardson, to whom Miss Mander referred with great pride. .This authoress had commenced writing 20 years ago, but it was the last book of her trilogy of Australian life which had brought her fame, and she was now acclaimed in London as one of the best women writers of the century. Speaking of journalism in England, Miss Mandisr referred to the increasing influx of society men and women into this field of work. "They are a perfect pest," she said. "Many of them who have no need to work contribute cheap articles for the London press, which are accepted and published solely because of the titled name which can be appended to the article." Many of the older writers of great merit were starving in London as the result of the "society journalist."