The times., 1899-10-15
A California Novelist


Within the past year the reading world
has been made aware that there is new
American novelist in sight. and that he
comes out of the West" Since Bret Harte
and the Forty-niner no one has written of
California life with the yigor and accura-
cy of Mr.. Frank Norris; and the best Of il
is that he is not in the least like Bret
Harte, or very much like anyone but him
self. His 'fMcTeague," following close on
his tentative adventure story Moran OF
the Lady Lefty" settled his right to place
in American literature; and he has now
presented third novel; Blk, which is in
some respects the finest and likely to be
the most popular of the three.
The noticeable thing about these three
books-the thing which strikes the reader
at Sights their wide difference from each
other. 1t is an unprecedented thing in lit
erature. Here is an author, practically
unknown, who makes something of a rep
utation by a story of adventure dealing
with types absolutely new in Notion; the
heroine woman Viking. the hero a nine
teenth century college man, the incident
one wild turmoil Of moving events by sea
and land, and the atmosphere realistic to
the last degree. His next work is a pow
erful character study of San Francisco
types which are yet the types OF almost
any large American city; a grewsome,
half disgusting, but perfectly accurate
analysis of a semi -barbarous modern man,
done with the realism of Zoia and the
idealism of Balzac all stepped in an at
mosphere which can be nothing but Amer
lean Now we find this author turning
from adventure and slum study to pic
ture an exquisite, tender, yet humorous
love-idyl of the City Of the Golden Gate.
The only thing which these novels have In
common is their fidelity TO nature. No one
can prophesy what Mr.. Norris next ven
ture will be; but it is safe to say that II
will be good There is one quality which
is his in full measure, which is seldom
possessed by either the saga man OF the
analyst; and that is the power to compre-
hend woman. Wherever he touches fem
| inine character he does IL with as sure and
confident a hand as in dealing with men;
and his intuition rarely is at fault.
Blk" is the nickname given by her
| lover TO Travis BessemeT, a California
| maiden, serene, happy, beautiful and full
OF strength-the American girl at her best
! She is blossom of San Francisco gardens.
| but she might have grown IN Chicago,
| Boston. New Orleans or New York and
varied but slightly from the type. There
is nothing phenomenal or abnormal about
her. Her traits are possessed in some
| degree by thousands OF charming girls all
| over this land and yet she is an individu-
al; one could never mistake her for any
one else. The same is true of Condy
Rivers, the other character in the book
for TO all intents and purposes there are
but two. He is the writer man; in certain
peculiarities of dress. manner and tenn
permanent he is the Western type, but IL
| al he nf,er "a Iicf
OF the country will recognize salient quail.
ties of their own.
Ii would be spelling the feast in store
for the reader If one were to sketch the
plot OF this charming little love story, fol
it is in the unexpected turns and doub
lings OF this plot, as well as in the char
acter- drawing that the interest OF the bool
lies 1t is thoroughly original and as thor
oughly natural, from the first page to tn,
last: and not for two minutes at tim
can the reader say what is going TO hap
pen next, or what the two people mos
concerned VIII take it into their heads &
remark. The comedy is odd and brigh
and rippling; the pathos-what there is o
it's delicately reserved: and the whol
movement of the story is free, joyous, an,
confident II Mr.. Norris can write as care
ful and powerful novels of Eastern as o
Western life, he may yet turn out TO b
that long-looked-for man, the man whom
perhaps, We lost too early in Harold Fred
eric-the man who win write the grea
American novel.
BLK" gives the impression OF hsvin
been written swiftly and rather easily
with great enjoyment There is a hint c
the authors own experience in novel writ
ing here and there. and one gets an ink
ling OF the methods by which Moran
was accomplished. Ii may be for this rea
son that one or two understandable slip
from accuracy occur Ia this book. fo