Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-14
FARJEON,
The English NOyelist-His Views on the
Fiction OF the Day, American Maya
zines, American Publishers and
the Popular Taste for For
eign TranslatiOns.
What he Thinks of George Eliot and Bret
Harte-His Own Works in the Order
which he Prefers them-HOw he
Came to be an Author and
How he Works.

New York Tribune: b. L. Farjeon, the
English novelist, lives in luxuriously fur
nished apartments in Thirteenth street. He
is now dramatlzing little comedy from one
of his works for local theater The author
of Blade o. Grass is young, well-buIlt and
handsome. with Hebrew cast of counte-
nance. His quick, nervous manner, direct
speech and constant pacing of the floor when
animated, remind one rather OF the man Of
affairs than the author. He has apparently
lived well, without playing the Sybarite
"Howells, Henry James, Jr:, and Aldr1ch
haven't read, he lately said IN conversation
I'm England we don't get the prominent
works of American fiction. | don't know
whether the reason Is that your American
works are so intensely local as to prevent
son Low, of all English publishers, has In
troduced to us an enormous quantity Of
American iiuJrrEe-----
George Eliot belongs TO past gur-v--I;-. :,
in the matter of short stories. She has fallen
into the common error of harping too much
on one string. A blemish IN Bret Harte Is
his constant use of the gambling element and
the terms of Drag and poker Now, the
ordinary English reader doesn't understand
the slang, and his works naturally suffer n
consequence. In Thankful Blossom Harte
has struck a bright VEIN of tenderness with
out morbidity. HaIte is often tender, but
morbid. If he would abandon that trait he
would do himself greater justice. / have
gwen away half a dozen copies of this story
to London friends. If Harte should collabc-
rate with an author who has produced good
substantial stories, he could write finer serials
than Gabriel ConrOy.
81 admire sincerely the popular magazines
of America We have nothing to compare
with them. At the same time you haven
a Nineteenth Century and FOrtnightly Re
UieIC.
1.-The present era Of lglish fiction com.
pares favorably with the former epochs, and
its many good qualities are encouraging.
am surprised at the popularity the fiction o;
Disraeli has obtained. However, he is not
read by the people, but by the wealthy
classes. If George Eliot's later works were
published in cheap and popular form doubt
whether they would be read much and ad-
mired. The same class that read popular
magazines here, in England read cheap edi-
tons of popular authors. But the early
works of George Eliot, MI on the Floss
for example, if published in cheap form,
would command extraordinary popularity in
England, while Middlemar'ch and Daniel
Deronda would be above the heads of ordi-
nary people,
won't you say a word in reference to the
copyright question? ?"
SIN common with other English authors
have considered 1t a great injustice that no
copyright law exists between England and
America. As to my recent book, Solomon
IsaacS, which has started feeling for and
against me, l sold the copyright to Jefferson,
who came to America before me and brought
it here. did this to see if an English aG-
thor could obtain here an lnvlolate copyright
Jefferson wrote few lines in the story to
constitute himself in some part author of it
Carleton published it, and for a few weeks
my copyright was respected. But the Lake
side Library soon issued the story for ten
cents. These cheap series, Riverside, Lake
side, etc., will do something toward making
a copyright law, because the American pub
Usher finds he cannot protect himself without
some enactment of the kind. Captain Burn
aby's works-Ride to KhiUa, for instance
are published in England in expensive form
Here they are issued by publishers in good
standing in nice style, but are bounced upon
by the proprletors OF cheap series and sold
for an English ivepence. An American pub
Usher complained the other day that dollar
work he had printed had been published after
ward by another firm for ten cents. But he
added that he hadn't yet paid the author,
which somewhat hghtened his trouble. We
have an association in London, started fouI
or five years ago, to protect the rights OF
authors, and the majority of English authors
were subscribers. The executive committee
was composed of ten or eleven members
Charles Reade, the younger Charles Dickens,
Blanchard Jerrold, Wilkie Collins, John Hol-
hngshead, Jenkins, of Ginc'S Baby fame,
and myself among the number. We endeav-
ored to get some encouragement on this side
of the water, but could get no help whatever.
We were unable to obtain an incorporation.
The general feeling was against any arr. nge-
ment of the kind. he association still ex-
lists, but is resting on its oars. American
o,,tborC aonlA HO,,htloc- h,.iprr tho
plant against England IN the matter of Ia
Engagement, but to one American book pub
lished In England fifty English works are
published in America. The balance of profit
is considerably in favor of this country. The
injustice of the thing makes me feel deeply
on the subject. | have copies of several OF
my works published in six or seven different
forms in America, but never received one
cent from any of the publishers. In finan-
cial sense it's better TO be publisher than
author. OF all the members of this commit
tee have mentioned, Reade used the strong
est language, and expressed himself most
bitterly.
You have in America field for transla-
tons of foreign works. In England it is com
paratively small. We hardly know Cherbu-
liez and Daudet in English dress. You trans
late Turgenef. A short time ago, in behalf
of person l would have liked to befriend
and who had translated two or three of Tur-
geneff's novels, spoke to a prominent Lon
don publisher In :egard to introducing them
into the English market. The remuneration
expected by the translator was exceedingly
small. The answer was that it would be
folly; it wonldn t pay. A translation of On
the Zee was published, | believe, with loss
to London publishers, but here Turgenef S
novels seems to be paying investment"
'Of all your novels, Mr.. FaTJeon, which are
your favorites?"
BREAD and Cheese and Kisses, Blade o.
Grass, and Joshua Marcel For the depic-
ton of character Solomon Lsaacs is the best,
and as purely literary effort the King of No
Land. Ny Christmas stories have much
larger circulation in England than my other
works, chiefly, as | think, because they are
published in cheaper form, and seem adapt
ed to the season. GI-iF was my first story
published in England, seven and half years
ago Then came Joshua Marcel, followed
by Blade O. Grass, my first Christmas story,
twenty thousand copies being sold." Mr.
his publisher, written in 1871, in regard to
the sale of Blade o Grass. The book is not
selling In the ordinary sense of the term, " II
ran; Its actually flying away"
Since tho appearance of Blade o Grass, .
continued Mr.. FaueOn, twenty FIVE thou
sand has been the lowest number of copies
printed OF any OF my Christmas stories. My
for the poor. Ny tories spring from my own
observations among the lower classes, for ]
have seen much of London life and London
poor. | have theory that in writing, things
happen of themselves without the writer hav-
Ing any foreknowledge of what is coming on
the paper. The name, Blade o Grass, came
one night whileI was lying awake in bed.
gave it to the publishers, although had
not yet elaborated any scheme other than to
connect the idea of blade of grass with a
human being. have received many letters
OF thanks for my stories, some of them ask
king FOX a sequel to Blade o GrdSS-to know
what really happened II her. Golden Grain
is, in truth, the sequel. In the King Of No
Land had from the beginning d very dis
tinct idea as to plot and what | desired to
evolve in the course of events. 1t may be GU
rious to note that every character is taken from
wood growth, woods and flowers, field and for
est life. This, however. was mapped out. Not
so with the characters m my other novels
Blade o Grass, Island Pearl, Golden Grain
and King Of No Land are of exactly the same
length. This is disadvantage in writing,
but it pleases the publisher to know what 10
count on. Some authors write at stated hours
in the day-usually in the morniny-then put
aside their work until next day Now l can
scarcely understand that method myself, be-
cause | can only write when | am in the mood