RECENT FICTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22326, 28 July 1934, Page 4

RECENT FICTION

“I. Claudius.” By Robert Graves. (Barker; 10s net.) _ , island Magic.” By Elizabeth Goudgc. (Duckworth.) „ , ” Devoted Ladies." By M. J. Farrell. (Collins.) _ TT “ Crown and Covenant. By D. r. 1.1. M’Lellan. (Murray.) „ „ „ “ sinister Eden.” By Brian Cottercll. (Harrap.) ” Strange Horizon.” By Elizabeth Milton. (Mills and Boon.) , «]>cd Hair.” By Sefton Kyle. (Jenkins.) ■lt Always Happens.” By Kobln Temple. (Ward, Lock.) " Tragedy at Trinket.” By Brian Flynn. (Nelson.) “The L'istcrdale Mystery. By Agatha Christie. (Collins.) " Riders of the Badlands.’ By Russell A. Bankson. (Hodder and Stoughton.) “ Dickon.” By Marjorie Bowen. (Hodder and Stoughton: 4s net.) (Each Is net. unless otherwise stated.) Confessions of Claudius ■ In a recent letter to the Spectator Mi” Robert Graves, replying to a criticism of his historical work of fiction, "1. Claudius” ' (from Whitcombe and Tombs) explains bis method in a book which readers .might otherwise find a trifle perplexing:— .... I took Claudius as I found him and I like him for not having been “artistic” in the style of his uncle Tiberius, hi* nephew Caligula, or Ins stepson Nero. He was just a plain old man with a nice sense of humour. Claudius, who has passed into genera! knowledge papers as the clown of Rome on the one hand, tlfe conqueror of Britain on the other, was worth finding. Mr Graves casts this long and scholarly study in the form of an autobiography, and one may rejoice that he, and not Claudius, is really its author, for with all his good points, that amiable Roman is credited with writings that could not be regarded as diverting, or even readable. Yet Mr Graves, it is stated on authority, hag brought into relief both the manner and the matter of his hero, his dry and circumstantial account of the imperial affairs of Rome during a bloody and vivid period being presented ns Claudius himself might have observed it and upon it. The only reason that Claudius did not suffer death by the orders of one or another of his impetuous relations seems to be that he was not considered sufficiently important—while he made a suitable butt for their unpleasant pleasantries. He was unprepossessing physically, his conduct suggested imbeci ity, anil his family dismissed him from their feuds 'as an amiable booby. So he was spared, a careful but somewhat ineffectual eye-witness of events in which the Julian-. Claudio house played out, in cruelty, lust, oppression, and jealousy that drama that ended with the disruption of the Empire. In conversational style Claudius seta out the sensational story of the palace intrigues in which he has no part; passes on the horrid confidences which Livia, the dominant woman in the book, gave to him; and describes his own embroilment in politics—his surest weapon against charges of forgery and treason alike is his supposed imbecility. He concludes with a detached account of the circumstances in which, much, against hie wish, he has to submit to being hailed as Emperor, the alternative being death. 1»« story of his reign Mr Graves reserves for a sequel to be entitled Claudius the God.” The Author

Robert Graves was born in London in 1595, a son of Alfred Perceval Graves, the poet and folk-song writer, and after attending six preparatory schools went to Charterhouse, thence into the Koyai Welsh Fusiliers, serving in the same regiment as Siegfried Sassoon. His poetry in this period made him conspicuous among the voung war poets. He was wounded in 1918, and married in the same year. In 1919 he entered St. Johns College, Oxford, where he took his degree, in 1926 he went as professor of literature to the Egyptian University at Cairo, returning in the next year to found the Seizin Press, which be now conducts with Laura Riding from his permanent residence in Majorca. His publications include “ Over the Brazier ” and other volumes of verse, “ Good-bye to. All That, an autobiography, and a biography of Skelton. He separated from his wife m 1929.

" Island Magic ” In Elizabeth Goudge’s “ Island Magic ” we find a quality which could scarcely be credited to the theme of “ I, .Claudius the quality of charm. Difficult to define, it is also difficult to work with, especially if the worker be, as Miss Goudge presumably is, an inexperienced novelist. Her story of one of the Channel Islands Guernsey, at a guess —in the eighties, before this haven for the hardly-taxed was “discovered” by Britons, has a charm so pervasive that it tends at times to become a trifle irritating—or at least to lead the’ author into mazy word images. Yet to be fair, one must ask also whether suspicion of the prose-writer who expresses herself in poetic terms, in a day when “realism” is the dominant word in fiction, does not discover affectation in passages in such a delicately-modulated work ■as “ Island. Magic ” where none exists. Miss Goudge should, perhaps, be given the benefit of the doubt when a paragraph is scrutinised with the question uppermost, Is that thought artificial or natural? Apart from the artistry of the author’s style, this novel is distinguished by very pleasant characterisation of the. few central protagonists, including the children, one a little moppet with a gift of second-sight that is neither precocious nor freakish. The story is of urn life of Andre du Frocq, his wife Racbell, and their family, on a farm which is threatened by bankruptcy, and saved By a wanderer who comes to the island with a v.rcck. Andre’s curmudgeonly old father, the doctor, realises the identity of the stranger who is received into the intimacy of the du Frocq farm, but the revelation is made much later to bis son and daugh-ter-in-law, and introduces a quietly forceful atmosphere of tension. The conclusion of the tale, however, leaves one reassured. It would not have been meet that the peace of the fiiagic island should have been shattered by this element.

“ Devoted Ladies From wild cocktail parties in “ arty ” London to horses and hounds and hedges and paddocks in Ireland is a far cry, but it is no trouble at all to Miss M. Farrell, whose book, “ Devoted Ladies,' follows the fortunes of the seemingly half-witted Jane, her limpet-like friend Jessica, who Jives on Janes money, and the nebulous and somewhat pitiable novelist Sylvester. Jt is Sylvester who is responsible for the invasion of Ireland s peaceful seclusion by the crowd of London harpies. He was Irish, and lie passed a proportion of each year in Ireland with two maiden cousins, Hester and Piggy. Miss Farrell wields the whip on her characters with some effect: —first, it is the decadent set who revolve about Sylvester, and then it flicks around the shoulders of some of the Irish folk.

“ Crown and Covenant Those who read D. T. H. M’Lellan s “The Laird of Balfric ” and Ibc Hanging of Captain Green ” will take up his “ Crown and Covenant w with lively expectation: nor will they be disappointed. Colonel John Buchan contributes a preface which is kind and discriminating, and at the same time guiocs the reader in certain matters of history. The story tells how Hamish Weir goes to Aberdeen to join Balfour of Burleigh against Montrose. Wc are given a clear idea of the curious ideas prevalent among the Covenanters, especially in regard to the quotation of Scripture and their idea of its relevancy to the events of the moment. After the battle we arc tasen awav from the Covenanting .party to a recital of Hamish’s love affairs and the method by which, after many sorrows, ad difficulties arc resolved. Readers witn an historical sense may regret that Mr M’Lellan does not give more space the delineation of Montrose s men, and less to Hamisb’s personal love story but the book is a gallant and brisk addition to the list of Scottish romances. “ Sinister Eden

A villain called Peruvio, who is at once a ruthless blackguard, a tender nurse to his victims, and a devoted son; a gir of the utmost beauty and plenty ot character, who yet cannot cast a spell upon him; a young agricultural scientist, who develops from a colourless personality

into a knight errant: a crazy old woman with a preoccupation for torturing animals—these are the principal actors in the “Sinister -Eden” in the South Seas to which Brian Cotterell transports us in the wake of Peruvio’s vessel. Peruvio has borne the scientist and the girl there, the first-mentioned unsuspecting, the latter resisting, to assist him and his extraordinary mother in making this lost spot a paradise in keeping with the old woman’s crazy ideas. Before they are free to depart again, sensational happenings have occurred, treasure has been unearthed. and those two perverted Utopians. Peruvio and his mother, have met with their deserts. This highly improbable tale i s written with a vigour and zest which raises it above the average of such Island thrillers. The Author “ Brian Cotterell,” known as “ Sinbad.” is the author of the anonymous autobiography “ A Modern Sinbad,” which recently, attracted attention. He was horn in Oxford of poor parents, went early to sea.. When his eyesight made it impossible for him to qualify for a master's ticket he purchased one from a beachcomber and commanded, several vessels under false colours. Footman in the home of Pierpont Morgan, peddler of dictionaries, manager of a. rope shop, chauffeur of a millionaire’s pleasure launch, treasure-seeker, steward, confessed murderer, successful magazine author, “ Sinbad ” recently returned to England to make a fresh start as a writer. New Zealand-ltaly Elizabeth Milton's previous novel, dealing with the wooing by Michael Trent of that dashing country girl, Gabrielle Deverill, was set in this country. In its sequel, “ Strange Horizon,” we follow the fortunes of the young couple when, immediately after their marriage, they sail for England, where Michael has inherited a property. Michael’s aunt and her niece, Christine, who had other matrimonial plans for him, are installed at Triston Court when the honeymoon cohple arrives, and have no intention of leaving. They are determined that Gabrielle is an undesirable character, and when Michael is recalled hurriedly to New Zealand have an opportunity of stage-managing an incident which convinces him they are right. Gabrielle, broken-hearted, flees to Italy, and there, at last, in a romantic climax, the young couple achieve a reconciliation.

“Red Hair” Mr Kyle’s latest book, “ Red Hair,” gives a further demonstration of how a lie, told even in a Stood cause, has often to be backed up by further untruths, each greater than the preceding one,_ until a state of affairs is reached that is far worse than would have been the case had the truth, however painful, been told in the first place. Patricia, after being secretary to Sir Brennan Grantlcy for five years, and placing him firmly on the pinnacle of fame, marries him, only to find that his first wife, whom_ he had thought long dead, is still alive. To avoid ruining his career Patricia undertakes to keep the other woman’s existence a secret, even from Grantley himself, and in order the better to do so practises what appears to be an innocent deception. The results, however, are_ calamitous, and she becomes involved in theft and murder before a way is found out of the morass into which one small lie hag plunged her.

’* It Always Happens ” From a beginning which gives little promise of developing into anything but a quite ordinary love story, “It Always Happens” blossoms almost abruptly into a romantic mystery of considerable merit. Though the love - element fa always kept in the forefront, side issues in the theft of Old Masters and then murder provide plenty of excitement, while the background of London’s artistic colonies is picturesque. The plot, too, ig admirably worked out, with, a fine air of suspense constantly maintained. In fact, the book is so well presented in general that one can almost forgive the author his antiquated and entirely redundant chapter headings, the loquacity of which would have completely damned a novel of less ingenuity. . , ’ "Tragedy at Trinket”

This is a school mystery story, submitted by the publishers for the entertainment of any reader from 13 years up. A feud between two boys, one a batsman, the other a bowler, who have come from schools they loved to one in_ which they have no interest, takes a grim turn when a master is found drowned in suspicious circumstances. Two senior boys conduct an investigation which leads them to the culprit. The tale is ingenious and 'quite exciting, both, in its’descriptions of cricket and detection, but the prescience of young Foßiott seems, a trifle exaggerated. Agatha Christie Stories

A dozen short' stories of mystery aaJ detection from the pen of Agatha Christie are collected under the title “ The Listerdale Mystery.” ' Not. all of these tales deal with such sensational incidents as murder or robbery, and a few are not even definitely exciting—or “thrilling”— but Miss Christie has evolved a series of puzzles which she solves cleverly, shrewdly and, as a rule, surprisingly.' The book 1 provides good entertainment. In the Badlands

“Riders of the Badlands” is a thrilling Western novel dealing with a dispute over water and grazing rights in the badlands of Montana. There are exciting events leading up to a sanguinary range _ war among the cattlemen, who have cherished a long standing feud with Babcock Jamieson, the cattle baron of Sun River Basin, as the leader of one faction, and Hector MacGregor, king of the '■ nestore," in command of "the other. The principal character iu the book is Cain Trivers, a young cowboy, who is loved by the daughters of the two principals, but fortunately is not embarrassed by the situation. Plantagenet Romance Marjorie Bowen’s “ Dickon,” a romance of the Wars of the Roses first published in .1929. is reprinted in Messrs Hodder and Stoughton’s “Yellow Jackets” series, V. V. L. Playwright-Authors J. B. Priestley has decided to associate himself more or less permanently with the Duchess Theatre, as a provider of plays by himself and as a productions adviser about plays by other writers. His present comedy there, “ Laburnum Grove,” has passed its 200th performance. When a successor is needed, it will be another play which Mr Priestley has now finished. From time to time he will supply this pleasant little theatre with other pieces. This arrangement follows the announcement of a permanent P. G. Wodehouse theatre for London at the Saville, where the public can expect to see stage fare of a definite type most of the year round.