DOWN GRUB STREET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 115, 17 May 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

DOWN GRUB STREET

Each of the critics has picked his ‘‘best” from among the German war novels. J. C. Squire, of “The London Mercury” hails the anonymous author of “Schlump” an the greatest, while Arnold Bennett is the latest of the great critics to assert that “The Case of Sergeant Grisha” is really great and hardly likely to bo surpassed, and now “The Evening Standard ” (London) has commenced to serialise this great work just nine months after its first publication in Britain. Ludwig Renn’s “War” still competes in the sight of ex-service men with “All Quiet” as a piece of dramatic realism. Anxious enquiries as to the second and third volumes of “Sergeant GriSha” diet the information that the second volume will appear in September 1930, while the third volume has not yet been written. A new author, David Emerson, has with the sure touch of a new Galsworthy produced a novel of the colourful days of William IV. Its title is “Regency Days” and it is the plainly told story of a noble house and introduces most of the great figures of the period. Invaluable both as a record of a departed phase of transport and as a romantic novel is “Rome Haul” by Walter Edmonds. The crude, elemental people of the canal-boat population of the Erie Canal have their being in this story of love, hate, romance, mystery and toil. A big success in the U.S.A. “Rome Haul” has only just arrived in this country. The success of “The Record Atlas” in Australia and Now Zealand has led its publishers, Phillips of London, to add to the now edition a special Australian supplement of eight pages of new maps. These will further increase its popularity. Mr John Moscfield, the new poet laureate, was born in Shropshire in 1875. Running away from school he lived a vagabond life on sea and on land. Returning to England he met a brother of the poet Yeats, who procured for him a start in literature. For some time he ■was on the staff of the Manchester Guardian. He has been a prolific writer. Indeed he has been over prolific and in consequence his best work is mixed with much that has been ‘ ‘ dashed off. ’ ’ His earlier work did not cause much of a stir. His play, the Tragedy of Man, brought him some recognition in 1909, but it was not until two years later that he achieved fame. Tn that year 1911 he published his long narrative poem “The Everlasting

Mercy” the story of the reformation of a peasant poacher pugilist. In this poem, which is racy of the soil of England, Masefield is full of fine description, graphic incident, deep feeling and ruthless realism. His novels have gamed a good public. These include “Multitude and Solitude” (1909). “The Street of To-day” (1911) and “Sued Harker’’ (1924). During the war he wrote Gallipoli (1916) and “The Old Front Line” (1918). His best form of expression apparently is the narrative poem. In these poems the influence of Chaucer, Whitman, Kipling, and Yeats is discernible. Honeyfield is essentially a poet of the people and of his own time.

Many motorists confuse “unsplin’.arable” with “ unbreakable. The other day a motorist opened tho dooi of his car in a congested park and smashed the w’ndow of a ’ow-built st loon car alongside“How much w : ll that cost?” he asked. “About two guineas,” replied tho owner. “What! Two guineas for breaking a window?” “Yes, I’m afraid so,” was the reply; “you see, it’s made of unbreakable glass.” Wrecked Motorist (opening his eves): “I had tho right of way, didn’t I? ’ ’ Bystander: “Yes, but the othe. fellow had a lorry.” “They tell me Brooks’ girl is harfl. I s that so?” “Hard? Why, nothing but a diamond could make any impression on her.”"