The San Francisco call., 1896-08-30

EPISCOPo AND COMPANY. BY Gabrielle dan
nunzio Translated from the Italian by Myrta
Leonora Jones. Chicago: Herbert 5. stone q
Co, publishers; for sale by Doxey: price $l 20.
Gabrielle d'Annunzio is not we'll known by
his works or even by name to the public OF
this country; but he has won recognition in
the literary circles of Europe, especially In
France. Jules Lemaitre has called him "the
romantic poet of the Italian renaissance" He
is not yet 33 years old, and is already ranked
as one of the great Italian writers OF the pres
ent time. A volume of verses which DAN
nunzio published in 1888 were so extremely
erotic as to bring upon him the same censure
that fell upon Swiuburne when the latter's
"Poems and Ballads first appeared in Eng
land. D'Annunzio has genius. but that genius
is largely stained by moral defects "Ep1scopo
and Company" is one of his lesser and earlier
works. and it is to be regretted that the trans
lator should not have chosen one of the italian
authors later and worthier novels through
which to introduce him to American readers.
In the book at hand he treats of lowest life in
Rome after the manner of the realists. The
deathbed story of Giovanni Episcopo is unfit
for the ears of young readers Some of the
passages border closely on the obscene The
style is exceedingly nervous, reminding one
much of Poe's 'Tell-Tale Heart" Take, for
example, this:
Did-dd you see-the corpse? Did it not seem
the face, in the eyes? All. forget, the eyes were
closed-not both Of them, however, not BOTH 1
know that well. L must die If only to rid my fin
gers of the feeling of that eyelid which resisted
feel it here always If bit of the skin had
stuck on the spot. Look at my hand. Is 1t not
hand that has already begun to die? Look
at it.
Episcopo is a bloodless being "a coward,
wholly under the evil influence of bad char
acter named WanZer. He bows to this mans
slightest command or wish. Eplscopo marries,
but WanZer made the match. The latter leaves
Italy for few years. Meantime, Episcopo be-
comes the father of boy, whom he names
Giro. Then suddenly Wanzer returns and
seeks to force Episcopo again into slavery. He
succeeds for time. He wins the smiles of
Giovanni's false wife, and then one day he
beats her, and Giro attacks the brutal Wanzer.
The woman fees. Wanzer departs for q short
time, but returns, and it is now that the base
slave frees himself, because of his love for
Giro. Wanzer looks about for the woman
and during this time Episcopo stands petrified
he cannot move Let the story as it closes tell
itself here:
"Suddenly my child uttered cry, which in.
stantly freed my rigid members. My eyes turned
10 long knife which shone on the s1deboard and
my hand cutched it. Prodigious strength filled
my arm. felt myself carried a wave to the
door of my sons room, and saw my son cllnging
with feline fury to WanZer's great body, and saw
Wanzers hands upon my son.
1.-TWO, three, four times plunged the knife into
his spine up to the hilt.
"Ah, sir, for charity's sake do not leave me
alone! Before night falls will die. 1 promise
you will die. Then you may go; you will close
my eyes and go away. But no, L will not even
ask that. myself before die will close my own
eyes.
"Look at my hand. 1t has touched the eyelids
of that man and it has turned yellow. Those eye
lids, wanted TO close them because Giro kept sit
ting up in bed and crying, Papa papai he is LOOK
ing at meI
"How could he have looked at him, covered as
he was? Can The dead look through sheets?
tTbe left eyelid resisted, cold, cold
"How much bloodi Is it possible that man
contains sea of blood? The veins hardly show:
them. And yet-there was no place left where I
could put my foot; my shoes soaked like two
sponges-strange, was it not?-like two sponges
zone of them, so much blood; and the other not
drcp-a lily. God, lily. Is there anything so
white on earth?
"Lies only Iiiiesl
"But, look; look, sir! What is happening to met
What is it feel?
Before night falls; oh! before night"
We anticipate with pleasure the translation
into English of d'AnnunZio's latest and best
novel, "Vergine dele Rocce'' 1t is claimed
for it that it will Withstand two tests of really
great literature; namely, 'that something
shall survive the first reading of the book
and that Il shall be impossible to read it only
oncen