LITERATURE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20708, 4 May 1929, Page 4

LITERATURE.

NEW NOVELS. VARIETY IN PLOTS. 1. POWERFUL BUT PAINFUL. In “Pilgrims," Ethel Mannin clearly showed that she knew how to write, a good novel, and the promise then displayed hits its fulfilment' in “ Crescendo ” (Jarrolds) described as “the dark Odyssey of Gilbert Strood." The story is well told, and is the outcome of an original idea. It is a pity it is cast in so. sombre a hue, and is over-realistic in its details of the relationship of the sexes. The Stroods were Montreal pioneers who had made their money 1 out of shipping interests, and were accustomed to-hrive their way with women. In a scar on his right wrist Gilbert Strood bore the .mark of ah overwrought,step-mother’s hatred,'and all through his life the' throbbing ’of that scar, reminded him of the wrong he had suffered at the hands of a woman. The tone of the story is early revealed;— , John Strood laughed when lie was in- ■ formed of his son’s almost violent animosity towards women. Laughed and said nothing. The boy was a Strood, that meant he would be incapably of dispensing with women in his life; but he rather thought that the women whoentered Gilbert Strood’s life were going to suffer—the boy would have to get back on women somehow for that knife wound. The idea afforded him a sardonic amusement; he. felt that there .were one, or two things in his own life which justified him in getting back on women. Gilbert Strood, young, good looking, and wealthy, travels to Europe, and has various amours, chief among which is his liaison with Mary Thane, who wrote for a living. But, while she satisfied Gilbert as a mistress, Mary Thane did not reach his ambitions for a wife, and eventually he married Isabel Merrill, the haughty, cold, but beautiful, daughter of the impoverished tenth Earl of Tringhom. only to find that bis aristocratic wife eluded him at every turn. Incidentally the folly is insisted upon of wealthy colonials aspiring to mate, with English aristocrats. There is also interpolated the strange fascination exerted upon Gilbert by the weird figure of Nicholas Stemway, the two having shared hardships in the Great War. The end of it all. is unrelieved tragedy. The novel is. one which cannot fail to hold the; attention; the. characters are arresting and cleverly created. “ Crescendo ” is an outstanding novel, 2. A DIFFICULT PROBLEM. In “Young Morality” (Hurst and Blackett), Mr James Dickie raises a difficult problem and succeeds in solving it satisfactorily—as, a'plot for a novel, but hot to be copied in real life. John Barnes, captain in the Leister Fusiliers, met Molly Brown, a mannequin at a night club, and they immediately, fell in love, and wanted to get married. John was unable to live on his pay, but an aunt in Ireland made ■him an allowance. .This annf disapproved of the way in which John and Molly had become acquainted, and threatened if they married to stop supplies. Molly solved the problem in unconventional fashion, but make greater trouble, which led to their separation. The story is enlivened with descriptions of the troubles in Ireland, of London night clubs, of jazz parties, barrack life at Aldershot, and a sojourn at Valetta, these being intermixed with memories of the : Great War. This all helps to lend interest to a somewhat sorid, commonplace story. . 3.—AN IMPOSSIBLE MYSTERY. The manufacture of mystery stories has reached such a-pitch; that nothing is deemed too far-fetched in the way of improbability if there is a prospect of a thrill in it. Often, however, there is only the improbability;—the thrill does not eventuate. This fault is to be found with "The Cancelled Score Mystery” (Herbert Jenkins), by Gret Lane. Happy Hampstead is the scene of the story, but the happiness of that select London suburb has been disturbed by a terrible tragedy. In an upper room- of a quiet residence lay the bodies of a man and woman foully murdered,- and botlf horribly branded the face of the one "Murderer,” the face of the other “Blackmailer.” • Upon this mystery all' the forces 'of detection are let loose,-and with , the most .surprising results, but somehow or other the essential thrill is sadly lacking. , 4.—A DANCING PARTNER. Whether or no it be the “Chronicles of a .Gigolo” (T. Werner Laurie), by Julian Swift,• are certainly amusing. A gigolo is a professional dancing man and his clients'arc usually drown from the • ranks of middle-aged wealthy women whose vanity is only, equalled by their physical nnaftractiveness. The gigolo,'in question is a sentimental youth, atid his career is subtly sketched. Read as a satire, it,conveys its own moral.' ■5.— A SERVANT GIRL : TRANS- . FORMED. In " So-Far ” (Hurst and Blackett), Mrs G. de S.' Weutworth-James has hit upon an original idea, but she overloads tlie story with a superabundance of moral maxims. A mistress seeking for distraction decides to take in hand her little servant maid; educate her, improve-her speech, maimer, and deportment, and teach her how to dress, herself. The maid being ambitions and 'anxious to please, the transformation is. striking and has surprising results, riot the least being that the mistress, in improving the maid, manages to improve herself. O.—A SYDNEY HOBLER REPRINT. Clinton Hale on a yachting cruise with Lord Glencairn, a multi-millionaire, dreams three nights running of a girphe had never seen before, and always she appeals to him for help. At Cannes he encounters her :in real life und-L’ most surprising circumstances, hue only to lose sight of her again. This leads to a series of adventures which Mr Sydney Holler, in “Hearti Cut; Diamond ” (Holder, and Stoughton), exploits to the fullest extent. The cheap reprint of this popular novel will undoubtedly increase its circulation. ‘ ... ', ; ■ HOME UNIVERSITY LIBRARY. . FOUR FRESH VOLUMES. ; The four fresh volumes added to the Home University- Library (Thornton Butter worth, 2s net per volume) will add to the reputation of-this admirable series. Two of the. new titles ’deal’with historical ■subjects; one with psychology and one with religion. Mr' J. E. M. Butlers "History of England, 1815-1918,” is a continuation of Mr Wrong’s volume, in the same series, making a complete history of England from 1688 to the time of the Great War. The value of this outline will at once be apparent, and the needful condensation, is skilfully-, accomplished. It is an ideal busy man’s book. The same remarks apply to Mr Basil Williams’s book on “ The British Empire.” Mr Williams, who is professor of history at Edinburgh University, sketches the evolution of the British Empire from the earliest experiments in'colonisation down to modern developments. • It is a dramatic 'story he has to tell, and he lays proper emphasis upon the marvellous man-ner;-in which Tim Empire in its many ramifications has adapted itself to the ever changing conditions of the times. A study of ’ this little manual cannot, but inspire confidence in tbo future of the Empire. In, his treatise on “Industrial Psychology ’’ Mr Charles Myers breaks much new ground. As it were be takes the dream of William Morris in “News from Nowhere,” -and shows (bat the poet's fancies are well founded in scientific fact. The book is the work of the members of the staff of the National Institute of Industrial. Psychology, of which Mr Myers is director, and is the fruit of first-hand experience supplemented by tbo research work of the Industrial Fatigue Board. This is a book which should engage the attention'of employers and workers alike, for it,indicates the lines along which all industrial.'-disputes will ultimately find settlement. All who accept Bishop Gore’s tbcologi- • cal standpoint, will hail with delight his book on “Jesus of Nazareth” as an honest attempt to paint a;modern picture of the, Christ, There have been many lives of Christ- published of late, but Bishop Gore aims at echoing the Gospel narratives and allowing them to speak for thcmselves. In this endeavour he has abundantly succeeded, arid in so doing has earned the thanks of multitudes' of devout Christians.

EDGAR WALLACE. HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY. There are two adjectives • that, apply equally well both to Edgar Wallace’s life and his career as an author—tumultuous and amazing. In a book called “People” bo narrates the story of his life—doubtless it was dashed off some evening between dinner and the theatre, or dictated some morning while he was dressing. After reading it one has a glimmering ot understanding as to why this literary mnehme goes at a clip that equals .that of Major Segrave s racing car and produces an that rivals mass production of a Ford automobile factory. But life promised no such achievements for him at its beginning. A fatherless and motherless waif, lie was saved from upbringing in a workhouse by adoption nt the acre of nine days by a fishmonger of Billingsgate Market. Tins philanthropist had an ample family of his own, but he did the best he could for the child he had saved from the workhouse, and Mi- Wallace writes of his foster parents, and'especially'of his foster mother, _ with tender and Avar in regard, l liey tried to give him a better education than their own' children had had, but apparently about the only thing he learned in the board school that, he remembered was tlie three Shakespeare plays that he committed to memory because they fascinated him. He was hardly more than 10 years old when he began to earn money selling newspapers, and. in two or three more years he had quit school and was supporting himself by-a variety of jobs that succeeded- one another in rapid succession. Finally, in his latter ’teens, he joined the army, and after a few years was sent to South Africa, Vicissitudes innumerable were bis during .this service, and colourful experiences that have given him the basis for large batches of fiction. ' the Boer ■. War he'left the army and began to experiment with poetry and journalism. In. the early years of this century -he returned to London and took up’active newspaper work that sent him In then- and yon almost all over the face pt the earth. But, dissatisfied with the lack of anything sufficiently important at the end of the road, he began, 20 years, or more ago, to try to establish himself ns a. writer of fiction. There were ups and downs in this, but at la,st he found his feet on solid financial ground.- ‘ An introduction to the book, apparently written in the publishing house, tells some of. the facts about the astounding output of which he is capable and of the story of his recent years. Since he quit active newspaper work he has written and had published over 140 novels,’.whose , sales amount to 5,000,000 copies a year. He writes a novel in two weeks, unless something happens to demand .hurry,, and then lie is likely to turn it out over,a week-end. A week-end is sufficient for the dashing off ot a play—he has written 20 plays in the last three years—and he has' sometimes as many as six'dramas all running successfully in London at the same tune. Recently he has begun producing hie plays himself. .Among his minor activities are the writing of a racing column, a column ot- dramatic criticism, ’ and occasional “ loaders ” and the designing of scenes for bis plays. If yon read between the lines of his autobiography you can get at least partial understanding of how and why lie does all this vast amount of work. He is shrewd about Ways' and means!,' dictates everything into a dietophone, and has others do the manual labour for him. The resourcefulness i of-a trained newspaper man in cutting off corners and utilising all possible helps to 'save time and labour comes in handy. His zest in life, though he is past 50, still bubbles joyously, hie gambler’s instinct makes every new venture a touch-and-go proceeding, he is tremendously interested in people (the autobiography is thronged with the human contacts he has made, and is the reason for _ its_ title) , and lie has the faculty of capitalisinc in fiction whatever he ■_sees or does. The book,is written in a simple, straightforward, hut often slovenly stvle, and as objectively as though he were writing about some one else.