New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-07
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TALES OF FOREIGN NATIONS

From the Danish Of Henrik. Pon;;oppidsn. by
Mrs. Edgar Lucas Illusiraed by Me Iisr Er nn
pany
THE PROMISED LAND. From the Danish snd. 81 e,
iustrated by Nelly Erchsen. octave. pp. XIX
400 The Macmillan Company
PASTOR SANG, Being the Norwcslan Drama
lated into English for the Author by William
Wilson. Duodecimo PIP 100 Lonsmans' "'ee"
Tale. from the Morse Of P ch Asbjarnssn ny
Sir George Dasent. A new edition with moro NOR,
tnsa P Tpn xx' aos G. p PSinams sons
SUNRISE STORIES A Glancs at he Literature
of japan BY Roger Rordan ana J1yG .a ser,s
ners sons SD'''''''' ~
IN THE PALE Stories and Legends Of the Rus u
sian Jews BY Henry lowa P PT0aesmo' s sp
ciety OF America
II is quite time tina, Russian literature should
be represented IN that estimaOle museum OF great
names. Bohn's Library. and no better writer could
be chosen for the purpose than Alexander Poush-
kin i1is art Is typical OF his 1t is only
Russian that can picture intrigue carnage and
the abandon OF the passions with the freshness
the naYve,e the charm that BELTS the idyL Some
Of them gallant and graceful. some OF them clumsy
with unframed strength the characters that figure
in Poushkn's prose Tales" are all equally animal
IN their pleasures. and all equally innocent To
use an old phrase they mere children of i'm
pulse: they do not dance 10 the pipings OF sex
drama, or in either wifulness or wantoHness meas
themselves against a moral law The ouxom
Lisa who d.guses herself a peasant girl 10
enjoy the gallenries OF neighboring Lothario; the
bandit Doubrovsky. diverted from avensins his
fathers death into loving his chosen victims
daughter; the gross beast Pougatchen, pre-
tender who goes far on q bloody road toward the
throne OF all the Russias. are in all matters OF
selt-knowedge carelessly unsophisticated and free
no "a nc iruulSVa a the reckless or
his characters His plots have no Jaw; they follow
the will-o'- the-wsp OF his own fancy. HIS Is an
unprecedented art. made plausible 10 tho reader
rot by literary rules ana decorurn. but by quaint
turns OF humor and knowing flashes OF Wit. Mr..
Keane translated the original into simple. often
sklfu and Invariably natural English.
Os;cnsibly Maurus Jokafs Eyes Like the Sea-
Is a novel: in reality It is curious compound OF
ingenious biogra ply and irrepressibe fantasy such
as only the most restless and rrepressibe OF Hun
garian patriots and raconteurs could ever have
ratified off When has turned out hundred
and fifty novels-many Of Jokais century and a
half are abominably bad but that fact is jus; now
no NATTER, Is not easy 10 keep ones pen aligned
20 facts 10 such extraordinary facts as are
furnished by authors madcap career Jokai
does not make the attempt: he does not even pro-
Tess 10 make the attempt. When he reviews the
past he is IN mood for literal truth. His
"reminiscences ne turns into the form Of a novel.
makes himself the hero and leavens his facts with
fiction. Waxing confidential with young Hungary,
the aged. buoyant novelist enlivens his past blum
ders with frank and humorous comment. grace
fully enhances his past triumphs with picturesque
coloring and from both points morals, deterrent
or stimulating. the case may be- He is the cen
ire and. without invidiousness be II spoken the
chief adornment OF his own tale. About him are
grouped the BOBBY lord, lover and abandoned
spouse-Muk Bago,ay, the picturesque coward and
gasconader Tihanler Reugetegi. and Bessie, wife
OF five husbands and widow OF but one. and him
she murdered. The whole story is hurried in move
rncnt prodigal OF curious and diverng adventures.
and irregular IN plot. Mr. Balm has translated il
into animated English.
To turn from Jokars fantastic Renaissance 10
Sonia Kovaevskys story OF Vera Voron,zoff'' is
hardly 70 step out OF the confines Of autobiog
raphy Certainly has reason TO suspect that
the strange Russian esoist in telling the tale OF
another be;rays herself. The brilliant but per
verse career of kovaevsky has been for some
years a matter OF common knowledge. Her pas
sionate feminine instincts she could recon-
Gle with her marvellous ma ;hematcal genius. The
sacrifice of heart and feeling which she forced her
self 10 make for the sake Of her intellectual am
billions proved too great for her physical endur-
ance. In the prime OF life she died s; feverishly
and wretchedy attempting TO live the solitary life
Of the scholar Such sacrifice Of all the tumultuous
passions OF the heart 10 a comparatively pedanuc
and scholastic purpose has TO the outsider ele
ments of bathos. but. unhappily for her. she her
sell never discovered tHeTn + or ner the struggle
tense and tragic. Such at least. Is the report
OF her friends. Such. too. s the story told by her
sympathy for the wilfully self-devoted Vera
vorontzor This impetuous, visionary girl forces
herself TO marry a repulsve stranger. laying her
womanly an;pathles the altar OF Nihsm She
Is a ngenue fascinated and seduced by Cause"
Sonia Kovaevsky had too powerful dramatic
ns,inc; not 10 the perversion of such career;
she had too much in common with her heroine not
20 be in intellectual sympathy with her. and appar-
entity she possessed too little self-knowledge ever
TO apply the lesson OF her teaching herself.
To tel the truth about ones characters is step
toward dramatic art; 10 tell IL with more and
no less than the right degree o: seriousness is a
much greater step II is just here that the Danish
novelist, Henrik Pontoppdan strikes one as de-
fective Certainly Il is fair question whether his
callow and soui-sick hero Emanuel Hansted. can
be truthfully depicted without a touch Of humor.
and Pontoppidan. with all his acumen. has no
humor The young curate's pious m!s.nterpre;a-
tions OF his natural impulses Ingenious
and !nept enough deserve from the author
only scientific analysis but something OF amuso-
ment and contempt. when. stil green 70 his voca-
ton and iimorously d.fident Of his powers nc
enters the disaffeced parish Of Veilby. Dependent,
for his happiness the goodwill OF his immediate
acQuaintances. whoever they may be, he instructive
~ insnuates hiuself into popularity du;fuly mod
els himself according 10 the petty preiudces Of his
congregation. basks in their esteem. and when on
q chance missteD OF his. that IS Withdrawn be
takes himself under the supposed call OF duty,
the soothing circle Of friends that await him In
the capital Homeslckness he is prone 20 classify
special sense OF Gods displeasure. his natural
skill in fatterlng the baser passions Of his
gallon divine inspiration, the applause 0, the !
fattered workingmen Gods seal Of approval on |
his work mere sensuous passion for buxom lass |
pure and spiritual love. and. finally the art !
full insnuations OF a society woman as suggestions
OF his own sober second thought and untrammelled
judgment So II comes about that when his sense |
OF duty calls him 10 the cultivated circles OF the
capital he leaves his peasant wife behind. H!s |
piety serves TO preserve him his own conscious
ness OF innocence and rectitude while he is played
upon by inslncere and unnanly temptations but IL |
u NIL ~ ..o..