LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2289, 13 January 1898, Page 47

LITERARY NOTES.

• . • Three plays by •• Carmen Sjlva," the Qaeen of Rjumania, were recently produced at Bucharest, and are said to have had a genuine success.

• . • A story by Mrs Jamea Saisted, entitled " VinOdriff oe," has been tranelatsd into Swedish, and is now being published in fche Gothenberg Posten. The first instalment appeared in that journal on November i, 1897.

• . • Messrs Archibald Constable and Co. will publish shortly a version of old stories of the Celtic Wonder World, by Miss Fiona MacLeod. The book will be illustrated, and will appear under the title of •' The Laughter of Peterkin."

• . • Wbeu Wordsworth died four names were submitted to the Queen for the Liureateship — those of Piofessor Wilson, Slieridan Kcowles, Henry Taylor, and Tennyson, and it was the Prince Consort's admiration for "In Me-noriam" that decided the Queen's choice.— EJinburgh Review.

• . • Apparently Mr Seton-Merriman is fond of fanciful titles. There was one allusioo, and, so far as I am aware, only one, to the raeaniug of the title in his successful book, " The Sowers," and there is again only one reference to " Kedar's Tents " in his latest creation. — W. L. Courtney, in the Daily Telegraph.

• . • After an absence of 12 months, spent in pursuit of sport in South Africa and Biluchistan, Mr Bertram Mitford hag returned to England. Mr Mitford is as full of admiration ot the Bilachs, who are an extremely fine race, as he is of the Zulus, who are so well known to us through his novels.

• . • Michel Angelo has left a private correspondence which ia shortly to be published. l!> is reported that 600 doenmenta have been arranged in chronological order, and added to the letters written by Michel Angelo to popes, princes, artists, and men of letters.

It will ba interesting to see whether these letters throw any new light on the relations between Michel Angelo and Raphael Sanzio.

•. ■ That Robert Browning should have been a voice crying in the wilderness for the greater part of his long literary life is one of the most remarkable facts iv the history of neglected genius. That the multitude did not go out to hear him is the more surprising, because the few who did listen to him were filled with the delighted wonder that Keats felt when first looking into Chapman's Homer. — D.uly Chronicle.

• . • The glowing gold on the gorse blossoms, that spread for acres and linger late, makes one sympathise with tbe dyirg tramp woman of Andrew Lang's poem. She wanted to go " to a country placa in Heaven," for — as she told thooe who watched her last moments — The «ovse on a common's worih all the gilt And gol<l of your New Jeiusalem. Perhaps RchefoHcauld's ariisfic instinct led hiea to ezclude concessions which would have marred the unity of his conception. — Edward Dowden.

• . • The Bookman reminds us that "to the Sfc. Jj,raes's Gazstte belongs the credit of having been the first paper to give an opening to some well-known literary men. It discovered Mr Barrie, and at least helped to discover Mr Kipling ; and it made known the talent of that clever young writer, Mr Pett Ridge, whose sketches and dialogues have attracted a good deal of attention during the past year or two."

• . ■ Iq view of the old discussion raised anew in the various receot " Lives of Burns " of the poetical relationship between Robert Fergasson and hi 3 great successor, and of the indebtedness of tbe latter to the former, the monograph on Fcrgusson from tho pen of Dr A. B. Grosart (who so long ago ss 1851 edited F<;rgusson's writings) should prove highly interesting, and a welcome addition to the "Famous Scots " series, ia which it will appear very shortly.

• . • Mr Grant Richards has just, issned Dr Louis Waldstein's " Tbe Subconscious Self and Its Relation to Eiucation and Health." Dr Waldsteia is an investigator at first hand of psychic phenomena, and he has here attempted to explain many of them as due to the underlying self of whose impressions the memory retains no record. He goes on to show how important a factor these fundamental impressions are in the problems of education and mental and physical health.

• . " Mr A. Pcitchett-M^rtin, who ia weSl known in literary circles as the author of " The Withered Jeater," and other poems, is to be congratulated on the popularity already gained by his " Tennyson and the " Isle of Wight," which he specially wrote for tfee editor of Vectis as a literary supplement to that magazine. The article, which is beautifully illustrated, has within a few days run into a second edition. The pamphlet, which breathes of the island the late po«t laureate made his home, is a literary gem whose worth is far above its modest price.

■ . • A little while ago everybody was vituperating tbe tbrse-volume novel, but now it ib becoming somewhat scarce a good many are lamenting its disappearance. Pattisig fcha contents entirely oat of the question, a three-voluma novel of the old type was the most comfortable book to read. In the first place, one volume is jast; about the right weight to hold wlr.h sase in jour hand ; then the. large type, the widely-leaded pagß, the smpis margins, the leaves that always kept open without any andue ezerticm oa the part of the reader rendered the perusal of a romance, however idiotic, an absolute pleasure, — Ashby-Sterry.

•.•Mr Grant Allen's latest book, "The Evolution of tha Idsa of God," ia a. large octavo volume of 447 pages, but is called by its author a " first sketch " of his conclusions snd " merely provisional." Yet he has beaa more than 10 years tingsged in writing it and more than 20 in collecting material?, it this succeeds Mr Allen hopes to " follow it up by several other volumes iv which the main opinions or Bagg<=.s'ions here set forth may be re-in forced," &c. Mr Allen evidently looks forward to completing maay decades, if he is going to devote one to each volume. Happy man to fesl that he has an occupation that will last thf whr>!« of his natural life.

•.' Mr RiKlyard K'pljr.g'a first " Jungis Stories " appeared originally in the pages of St. Nicholas. The proprietors of this msg&zine for young folks hava scoured for the coming year another aeries of tales by this popular writer, to be called tha " ' JustSo ' Stories." They v?ill be written ia a new vein, and will deal with some very queer animate. Me Oliver Herford is to illustrate the stories. Mr Kipling also contributed to the Christmas number of Scribner a poem called " The Feet of the Young M«38," which was written for his friend, W. Hallett-Phtllips, of Washington, a few days bsfore the drowning accident which terminated his life. It is said to be a stirring song of the hunting fever.

• . • The place of honour in the latest New York Critic to hand is given to a lamentation over latter-day literature by Mr Calvin Dill Wilson. According to this writer tha giants of the pen are dead and the great books have all been written. There -are accomplished writers by the score, but there is no " supreme greatness." " Where is the recent bock that anyone can read over twice 1 Where is the historian who can paint living pictures like Carlyle 1 Where is the novelist who can tell a story like Dumas or Scott 1 Where is the essayist v?ho can make his pages gleam like Macaulay 1 Where is the singer who can sound the depths of the heart like Byron or Tennyson 1 Modern literature has no force. It lacks virility. . . . Modern literature has no heart — there is no mighty love in it; its pulsations do not emanate from great hearts, or reach them." Finally, we are told that men write for a living or for fame and not because they have some great and noble thing to say. Dear, dear 1 how very sad it all is !

• . • The situation in Cuba ia, says a Home paper, likely to come home to us with the brutal murder there of Mr Frederick Hughes, special correspondent. To its current number Black and White has a special illustrated supplement showing the unfortunate gentleman astride his pony, with some reminiscences of Mr Hughes in the Soudan, by -Mr Sheldon. Mr Hughes seems to have had an iron constitution, and, unlike some of hia colleagues, who apparently lake moua«

tains of laggage with them to the Soudan, I he " travelled light," his baggage consisting I mainly of his camera, chemicals, and plates. I " Half the time," says Mr Sheldon, "he had j no shelter, and he seemed to be quite con- J tent as long as he had a native bad on which i to lie and a blanket fco cover him. He did

not associate much with the other correspoa dents, his best chums being the 'Tommies. Bab he was evidently a right good fellow, all the same, for it is related that he used to ride a distance of 20 miles back to the telegraphic stations for the other correspondents with their despatches.