THE BOOKSHELF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22256, 2 November 1935, Page 9 (Supplement)

THE BOOKSHELF

EYES ON ABYSSINIA

PEOPLE, POLITICS AND WAR

At the beginning of tho year Mr. Tnrlislns Farago, a Hungarian journalL W as -sent to Abyssinia by the Associated Press to study the people, tho country, and above all, tho political and militarv situation. Such good use did he ni(il:e of his timo that in seven we lf S he' had become one of the most important foreigners in Abyssinia the most favoured journalist there, and had been granted several audiences by the Empeior. In his resultant book. "Abyssinia on tho Eve," are to be met all the chief personages who aro destined to figure in the impending struggle, and nlso n vast amount of information and observation of this little-known land and its inhabitants. In one respect his task was made easy, l° r Selassie I. not only put no 'obstacle in his ivay, but gave him evcrv assistance to present Abyssinia's sitlo to the world, confident in the justice of his cause. The Emperor's troubles nro first that his counsellors are jealous bf one another, and prepared to do each other harm even if it means embarrassment to the Emperor; secondly, lack of money. The army and tho schools nro maintained out of tho Emperor's private purse, and he has small resources from which to draw. Mr. Farago deals with the incidents at Wsil Wal and Gondar, and from this and other sources deduces the fact that Italy has for years been preparing for :his war and bringing it to a climax. " Italy has already waged one war j n Africa that lasted eighteen years, and this war that must be fought out in the bush and mountains of Ethiopia may last just as long. Every inch of land will / have to be fought for and when the enemy thinks that a proyinco has been conquered, more Abyssinian warriors will spring out of tho ground, and they will mako further attenTpts to win back their country." In tho end the struggle is likely to take place ten to fifteen thousand feet above sea level. Aeroplanes cannot function at this level, and it is doubtful if Italian soldiers can either. "The further the Italians advancu the more difficult their transport problems will become." Ho predicts that the Italians will he allowed right into the interior, the Abvssiniaiis reserving their strength as they d'd at Adowa for a final blow. Their'' weakness is that they do not understand nor approve of modern military methods; they consider it cowardly to take cover, and prefer, half frenzied with war fervour, to charge in the gallant manner of semi-savages. This is tho book for which the Eng-lish-speaking world has been waiting, and it is easy to predict for it a popular success. ... . " Abyssinia on the Eve." by Ladislaa " Farago. (Putnam.)

t LIVING ALONE A WOMAN'S NOTE BOOKS live Wilson is the name covering the identity of the author of " Note Books of a Woman' Alone." Sho is flow dead .•mtfvtheScfbooks' hare beerf published because it. has been thought that they might give' a little mental shelter to others placed as Eve Wilson was. Apparently sho was not brilliant, and hor stubborn fight to make a living, her desperate need for graco and beauty in her meagre life, does not make comfortable 'reading. She seems to have been a misfit. Brought up in easy circumstances she was left unprovided for at seventeen when sho beean her career as a nursery governess. This lasted ten years, aftfcr which sho longed desperately for privacy, for at least a room of her own where she might be herself, neither apologising for nor justifying her presence. Toward this end sho achieved, a position in a registry and counted herself a happy woman because she was free to live where she chose. Bho celebrated her happiness by beginning her note books. The Value of her record lies m the revelation it makes, of her inner life. She is unusual in that she stubbornly set it .all' ,down, for sho belongs to the type qf women who suffers passively, heading her comments it is difficult to understand that a woman with suoli pleasing 'mental qualities could go through life without intimate friends, fiho had much to offer and longed intensely for companionship which she was only to find in books. It is good to realise that she did achieve a philosophy, and if sho was an amateur at living she has turned it to good account, for that very amateurishness gives point to the bewilderment she feels, for the inequalities in the world. „ "The Note Books of a Woman Alone, edited by M. G. Ostle. (J. M. Dent.)

, THE CAREER OF A BEAUTY • ' / I POPULAR NOVEL DE LUXE In " Rachel Honing " Mr. Howard Spring draws the portrait of a woman who cleverly exploits her amazing beauty. If his subject lacks originality the same cannot bo said of his treatment, for he writes with his tongue in hia chedk. It is immediately evident that he doe® not in the least believet in the Rachel Rosingsi of the world, but since it is equally evident from the popularity of certain novels that the majority of the novel reading public do, he docs his best to givo them tho kino of thing they like. , oil In consequence his heroine Kaelici Hosing is more beautiful than any movie star, and further has a genius for " gqld digging." When the story ooens Rachel's fortunes aro at a low ebb. A millionaire crosses her path; she achieves an invitation to dinner, and gambling her last penny on the chance that new clothes will make her completely irresistible, she appears in full war paint. Tho millionaire is ably impressed. A collector of taste, he rcrognises Rachel's quality; is humble before her beauty and proposes marriage. Rachel only breathes freely when they are actually man and wife, hut she has barely time to realise her good fortune when an accident threatens tho tota loss of his legs. This dread he will recover but will be an invalid tor a long time. Rachel having acquired a wealthy;, husband, gives her mind to other things. His illness gives her opportunity to make new friends and 'find new intents. Her beauty takes all by storm, with tho outstanding exception of tho family , s cat, and she flourishlike a grove of • green bay tfeoa. , ' , But A -.W«b)e it* Hfefr *>he Pieotv h.*r ftamt on thb very flight °« !»<r grenj t Hi;..; (J, clad in mold pyamas and a }(«]•' sfeen 1 musing gown . H is ;ir» running book" if on«s ejuovs t')h t.ypi, c' flung. At least it in ttvvery Wtoß atorv nnd. (ihiahe* neatly-with .1 '.raL . Ko-by Howard Bpring. -'/ mi. A- i