A LITERARY LOG

Southland Times, Issue 21581, 19 December 1931, Page 11

A LITERARY LOG

ROLLED BY

IOTA.

BOOKS ON THE TABLE

“The Long Christmas Dinner” .. .. ... .. .. (Thornton Wilder) “Datus” (George Finn) “Dolores, and Some Others” ... .. .. (Max Pemberton) “The Gringo Privateer” (Peter B. Kyne) • “Sally Among the Stars” .. .. (Concordia Merrel) “Wild Horse Mesa’’ .. (Zane Grey)

ELIMINATING SPACE. Thornton Wilder’s Latest. Thornton Wilder’s writings have all shown their author’s interest in constructive experiment, all except “The Cabola,” which showed Wilder in a “clever” vein. It was not until “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” flashed on the world that Wilder was recognized, and in that book technical novelty appeared. It was not a new method, but it was unusual and it made possible the elimination of much which otherwise would have been pleasant but unnecessary explanation. “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” would have been a brilliant achievement in any form, but it started Wilder on the path of compression. “The Woman of Andros” used the Ibsen method in the novel, though I have always thought the author made the trick of construction, by which he drew Time before and after his book within the compass of his work, was a little too obvious. In "The Woman of Andros” Wilder handled his material with the ease of a master and one turned to him with joy because he preferred the calm, clear prose of the great school of English literature now almost wholly gone. Preciosity is an irritating sin because it is a cheap-ly-made imitation of something of inestimable value, and that something in literature is discipline. To-day there is too much slapdash, too much covering of literary laziness with emotional tantrums, and so one finds Wilder a cool spring, a writer who has discovered anew the art of elimination and is ardently avoiding extravagance. “The Angel That Troubled the Waters,” a series of ultra-short plays, was another experiment in form, another exercise in brevity, with some excellent writing to carry along these impracticable plays. Here again elimination was obvious, but the author had not compressed so much as he had contracted by means of extraction. In his latest work Wilder sticks to short plays and carries forward his experiments in form. "The Long Christmas Dinner,” which gives the title to the collection, is compression taken almost to the limits of practicability. Here in twentyeight pages, in an acting length of an hour at most, four generations of the Bayard are seen —he has eliminated space to permit the compression of Time; he has eliminated pieces of Time to keep space within close limits. There is only one scene: a Christmas dinner, and here Time rushes by without haste. There is no confusion, no lack of clarity as the tide of life flows, and in plain dialogue—any ornament would ruin the effect—the action is carried along smoothly. One can see how with skilful production this adaptation of screen-condensation to the stage could offer as a background the tremendous superficial changes the world achieves in the course of three generations. Wilder’s method is capable of a greater results than "The Long Christinas Dinner” can offer, but in these pages one can see the possibilities of the plan he has used. “The Long Christmas Dinner,” is a distinct achievement and, if I mistake not, a definite promise. In the other plays one finds the influence of Pirandello, and a further reliance on technical novelty at the expense of substance. “Queen of France” is an historical irony done very neatly, but “The Pullman Car Hiawatha” is a piece of trickery which does not seem to arrive anywhere, unless the stop at Chicago has some significance. “Love and How to Cure It” is an effective trifle marked by good characterization, and “Such Tilings Only Happen in Books” is the triangle in a new setting and in a new position, with an unusual slant on character. “The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden” is marked by stage managership, but it is a faithful record, and it betrays an understanding of human nature as it expresses itself in what may be termed the bulk of Colonial people. It is a tender comedy and one of the soundest efforts of the collection. Though not so elaborate, it would require treatment on the stage as careful as that demanded by the first play. Wilder’s dialogue is extremely plain, and at times a little too much so, but there is no doubt about the sincerity of his aim, and the value of his achievement. This is the. most exciting collection of small plays to come in the English language since Eugene O’Neill appeared, and it suggests that Wilder may yet write in full length, and apply the methods with which he has experimented so successfully. “The Long Christmas Dinner” is published by Messrs Longmans Green and Co., London, whence came my copy. NEW ZEALAND’S CHRONOLOGY. In one respect alone Mr George Finn’s work “Datus” is sufficiently valuable to justify all the labour spent on it as well as its claim to public attention. Many times in every year news papers and libraries are asked to supply the date. of some noteworthy event in New Zealand’s history, and as the sources of information are limited long searches usually result where the inquiry covers an incident not recorded in the brief chronological tables of the Official Year Books. The shelf of New Zealand history is being extended steadily, but these works do not supply information in a handy form and, of course, do not touch events associated with provincial or district history about which information is frequently sought. .Mr Finn has met this need. He has constructed a long and comprehensive chronlogical table, covering the history of New Zealand from the days of the Moa to the end of 1910, and he proposes, in a subsequent volume, to carry the table down to the present day. It is sur- ■ prising to meet the reminder that the first organized migration of Maoris from Hawaiki preceded the visit of the Portugese by no more than 200 years, and that only ninety years later Abel Tasman reported the discovery of New . Zealand, eighty years before James Cook was born. Mr Finn, however, has not been satisfied with a mere list of dates. He has collected in this book, introducing them at appropriate intervals in the tables, articles dealing with the outstanding events, so that the reader is able to appreciate the significance of the events recorded, through the revival of historical records. Another excellent feature is the use of “reminders,” which supply mile posts of Old World history so that events in New Zealand can be linked with life in the Old Country and in Europe. The first coming of the Maoris is the subject of a brief, but comprehensive sketch, and then the visits

THE GAY COWBOY.

“The Gringo Privateer” is an ingratiating tale of Western cowboys in the movie vein, and it is vastly entertaining. Kenneth Burney is a picturesque hero, with a broad streak of American wit in him, as well as the best of the cowboy virtues. He arrives at Bardin’s ranch and finally accepts a job to rid the world of two men known to be cattle thieves. This offers as much danger as any man would wish to find in a lifetime, but there is a greater risk in running counter to Muriel, Bardin’s daughter. Burney tackles all his tasks gaily and he is one of the bright lads who can say bright things. Frankly the story is improbable, but Peter B. Kyne has the knack of making it all appear authentic and so this yarn, which has many novel touches about it, is thrice welcome for holiday consumption. And better still it is a new novel at a low price. This is the best possible news and the publishers deserve well of the public for this move. A first-class story at an attractive price.

"The Gringo Privateer" is published by Messrs Hodder and Stoughton, London, whence came my copy. TWO WELCOME REPRINTS.

In these days the greedy reader, and all readers are greedy, is confronted often by the high price of novels, and by the desire to re-read stories which he enjoyed many moons before. The reprint helps him in both cases and, therefore, one welcomes the new titles in Hodder and Stoughton’s excellent series. The latest additions and Concordia Merrel’s “Sally Among the Stars” and Zane Grey’s “Wild Horse Mesa.” Entirely different in scene and in aim, these novels have a common feature in the fact that they are the work of exeprienced writers who have an audience which has grown steadily with the years. Concordia Merrel writes lightly and with humour. She knows London and she has an unerring hand in dealing with romance in everyday situation. Sally is a charming girl and her story is a gem. Zane Grey’s novels of the West have in them more scenery than most Western writers can command. His people are always vivid, but he also makes the country seem real, and the reader is soon ‘conscious of Grey’s understanding and love of Nature. “Wild Horse Mesa” is an excellent Grey work and its appearance at the beginning of the holidays is timely. “Sally Among the Stars” and “Wild Horse Mesa” are published by Messrs Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., London, whence came my copies. LONDON’S TASTE. The following books were in demand in London at the end of October:— Fiction. —Margaret Kennedy’s “Return I Dare Not” (Heinemann); Dornford Yates’s “Adele and Co.” (Hodder and Stoughton) ; Pearl Buck’s “East Wind, West Wind” (Methuen); Vicki Baum’s “Results of an Accident” (Geoffrey Bles.). Miscellaneous. —“The Outline of Modern Knowledge” (Gollanez) ; Bertrand Russell’s “The Scientific Outlook” (Allen and Unwin) ; Anthony Fokker’s “Flying Dutchman” (Routledge; Philip Guedalla’s “The Duke” (Hodder and Stoughton),

of Tasman and Cook are dealt with. “The Introduction of Christianity” is another informative chapter, and the first plough in New Zealand, quoted from the Rev. John Butler's diary is recorded: On the morning of Wednesday, the 3rd of May, 1820, the agricultural plough was for the first time put into the land of New Zealand at Kiddie Kiddie (Kerekeri), and I felt much pleasure in holding it after a team of six bullocks brought down by the (H.M.S.) Dromedary. L trust that this auspicious day will be remembered with gratitude and its anniversary kept by ages yet unborn. Every heart seemed to rejoice in the occasion. I hope it will still continue to increase and in a short time produce an abundant harvest. Mr Butler was the first ordained minister to settle in New Zealand, and he was conscious of the importance of the ceremony of that May day over a hundred years ago. These articles are of inestimable value because their brevity will attract many readers who will not otherwise make any acquaintance with New Zealand’s story. For that reason I have no hesitation in saying that this book should be in every school in the Dominion and in every library. At the same time no better gift could be made to New Zealand boys and girls because in these pages they will find enough to convince them that New Zealand’s story is sufficient!- interesting to repay their attention. The chronological table is very full. One finds the record of the first issue of the Southland Times in 1862 (I suspect the day of the month being a few days out) and in 1910 the amalgamation of the boroughs with Invercargill. All the districts are included in Mr Finn’s tables and “Datus” is, therefore, a reference work of inestimable value. “Datus” is published by the National Printing Co., of Auckland, my copy from that firm. THE SINISTER PICTURE. The first story in “Dolores and Some Others” has a touch of mysticism of the type one would not associate with the name of Max Pemberton. A wealthy and beautiful young woman, the descendant of an ancient Spanish family, is to marry a rich young British nobleman. They are very much in love with each other, and he acquires, as a gift for her, a portrait of the first Dolores of Segovia. Unknown to him, there is associated with this picture a curse —it changed a chaste Dolores into daring amoureuse worthy of comparison with the first of the line—and Dolores is aware of it. She goes over the ancient story and is terrified of the prospects. Next morning brings new light, and the story ends as one might hope. All these stories have a thrill in them, and they are written by a hand that has had a lot qf cunning and still possesses enough to make fiction deservedly popular. The stories show the experienced craftsman and they are worth having. “Dolores and Some Others” is published by Messrs Mills and Boon Ltd., London, whence came my copy.