The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-06
lola ON HIS NEW BOOK.
What He Thinks of the Mass of American
Literature.
rPaIl Mall Rudget

Pail Mall Budget
"You have come to talk to me about my
new book. Well, what is it you wish to
know" And Emile sits down on low
chair, and fixes shrewd bright eyes on
his guests. in some ways / consider
'L'ATgent TO be my most careful and
elaborate study OF human life. l think
most OF Frances misfortunes have come
upon her from the financial state of
things which existed both during the en-
pire and even since 1870. Look at the
'krach;' did not that reveal q rotten con-
ditiOn? And yet few were aware OF the
impending calamity, and, as is always the
case, the absolutely innocent were the
most duped and the greatest sufferers"
Then was LArRent suggested by the
'Krach p mo, for from the time the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT series first took a def
mite shape in my mind 1 always meant 10
deal as exhaustively as possible with the
financial problem of modern days. Son
Excellence Eugene Rougon' directly leads
up to L'Argent,' but l will not deny that
the 'Krach' and several of its lesser breth-
rem doubtless influenced me when writing
my latest novel"
And what first suggested to you, mon
sieur, the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT series?"
1.-TWO or three remarkable works, pub
lished some twenty-five or thirty years
ago, on the influence OF heredity; Trelat's
'FOiie Lucide' among others. l also read
Darwin and the writings of his disciples
Above all, the result OF my own personal
observation showed me the profound
truth of what was then an unknown
science. l consider" added lie Maitre,
smiling, that the novelist and the story
writer has often the privilege OF being the
precursor of scientific discoveries; for TO
him the wide borderand between the real
and the ideal Is open ground. and as long
as ne does not tamper with the definite,
every possible probability is part of his
working outfit"
Then you simply followed an imagin-
! airy sequence"
Every year that passed proved the
truth of what l sought to demonstrate in
my Natural and Social History of a
Family During the Second Empire / am
now approaching the end of my task;
have shown the rise of the empire, its
prosperous days, and my last volume will
| deal with its downfall"
The Eranco-Prussian WARP"
eyes, and what led to it, but La De-
| bacle' has yet to be written, and l shall
have to work very hard in collecting ma
| terias"
"Do you ever dictate to a secretary p"
81 havenot the happiness"-herea note
of interrogation crept into NJ. Zola's So
norous vOice-'of possessing such lux
ury. l answer all my own letters and
transact everything In the shape of liter
airy business myself Indeed, | fear / must
sometimes seem uncOurteous to some oil
my English corresp ondents, for when | re-
celve letter in an unknown language /
wait until some learned friend comes
along before l attempt to answer it."
Then you do not know much of con-
temporary English literature?" ooh,
| yes, j do" he answered quickly. 81
make out what / can and then there are
translations OF your best authors But
what strikes me most are the English and
| American newspapers and magazines. II
| is great pity that we can show nothing
| OF the kind over here, and il must be ow-
| ing TO some want in ourselves. OfEcourse
there are our daily papers, but nothing
answering in any way TO your mass oil
| good, wholesome, solid literature, which
week by week, and month by month";
educa,es and entertains the English pub
lie old and young"
'And to what is this lack owing?"
"The non-existence of those who would
| support in any number this genre of pub.
| hcation; ana 10 DC successful magazine
must have not one but fifty thousand read.
| ers. The system even of circulating lib IA
ries, though it exists, has seemingly taken
but little root. The French author de.
ponds wholly on the buying public, that
| is. the man who wishes to form a library
| or the woman who wants 10 read, for hel
own sake, his works.
"Of course, there are the feuilleions, but
they are necessarily as ephemeral as the
daily papers in which they appear day BY
day. No, the book buyer is really the
French authors best friend"
"And suppose you have large foreign
| sale ?"
almost a third Of the total number
| printed Of any one OF my novels leave the
country within six months of publica
| ton"
When you decide to take Hoods Sarsa
| parilla do not be induced to buy some
substitute preparation which clerks may
claim is las good as Hoods" The pc