The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-03-01
s s Literary Notes.l 7aa "a

Is s Literary Notes.l aasa ri
s Blanchard Jerrold is writing biography
of Gustave Dore. He has free access to the
private papers of the Dore family. The BIZ
oeraphy contains the story of the boyish In
iatua'ion of DOre for Sarah BernhardE,
fhe trst historic novel in Iceandie has
been published in Canada by lady bearing
[ he euphonious name of Toofuildur Tho
| rusteindottir Holm. The title of the novel
is easier to pronounce, II is ''Brynjolfur
Sveinsson," and the plot is laid In Iceland
in the middle of the seventeenth century.
Mr.. Charles Lewes, it 10 said, writes that
tits untrue that George Eliot left many
| note books behind her dealing with numer-
Ous subjects. When the biography upon
which her husband. Mr.. Cross, is now en-
gagged and the forthcoming volume of es-
says are Published there will remain almost
nothlng imprinted.
Wilkie Collins recently strayed into a Lon
don theatre where ''The New Magdalen''
was being played The ushers whispered
he fact among the audience, and there was
a unanimous call for "the author" which
only ceased when the famous novelist reluc-
antlv appeared on the stage, blushing and
bowing.
Sir Stafford Northcote has been amusing
literary ociety by lecturing upon the sub
ject of "nothing,' though he reminded them
hat he was not the first person who had at
tempted 10 discuss that theme. l. 1rd Roch-
ester, the friend of Charles II. addressed q
very clever poem 10 "nothing;' French
writer, quoted by DR.. Johnson, wrote Lat
/ in poetn to show shnt Nothing 10 puroT rhaz.
water, Nothing is richer than gold, Nothing
IS higher than the heavens, and 80 on. Tie
speaker defined mastery inactivity as the
art OF sitting st'll aud not committing your
self In any action at time when it Is not
convenient you should do so.
Admirers of Heine will be glad to hear
that contract for the publication of the
memoirs Of the poet has been signed, the
parties being NJ. Henry Julia, in the name
IT Hines heirs, and Hoffman & Campo
(publishers for FL sine during his liie) of
Hamburg. The memoirs will first be PRINT
ed in the Gartenlaube. a newspaper pub
lished al Stuttgart. The manuscript which
is sold for l6,000f, is composed Of 12S leaves.
AT least tWenty-six leaves of the original
manuscript were burned by Heine's brother,
because OF certain family matters which
were related in them. The genuiueness Of
the Julia memoirs has been fercely disput-
ed; but opinion, both In France and Germa-
many. seems now to be favorable to them,
The suppressed book which Is making
such stir in Berlin, "Les Aemands," pro-
nounces the Countess Schleinitz the most
learned and intellectual woman in Berlin.
She is a toleraole artist, rare musician, and
we'll up in science and literature. She Is
fascinating woman socially, and best of all
-or worst OF all, in Bismark's judgments
Liberal in politics. The author of he wick
ed book says, ''Her house is true repu lie.
There you may meet painters, musicians,
actors, journalists, politicians, the nobility,
and women of society. You jostle there
against no mental pettiness. But the great
Bismarck, like the great Napoleon, was
afraid of an intellectual woman. He rec
commended the lady to discontinue her re-
the only intelligent centre Of Berlin was
suppressed"