New-York tribune., 1922-05-21

| work is adequately acclaimed at
| the time of it's appearance, and
no one but fool or = curmudgeon
would grudge Mr.. Lytton Strachey the
| immediate success which he achieved
with Eminent Victorians" and with
Queen Victoria" These two books
have gone into sixteen impressions be-
tween them, in this country alone, and
they are likely to 20 into a great many
more before they arc supplanted or for
| gotten. The appearance of new vol
ume from Mr.. Strachey is thus a con-
siderable literary event, and great in
tcrcst is being shown in Books and
Characters" which will be published
before these lines appear in print. Tho
new book covers wide range. Racine,
Noltaire, Henri Boyle, Mr.. Creevey, Lady
Hester Stanhope, Madame du Dcffand,
even Shakespeare are among the liter
ary and historical figures to whom Mr.
Strachey has applied his Illuminating
talent and original outlook
That perverted madman with a dash
| "
has been revived again among the lit
erary innner circles Of Anglo -Ameri-
can Paris. The copy of the Lay Of
Maldoror" which I borrowed about
year ago had been given by an Oxford
poet, we'll known at. the Cafe do la
Rotonde, to friend Of mine. tried
hard to read it and achieved fifty
pages. Now, Mr.. John Rodker has
made translation Of the book and has
set it up himself at his private press
There are two prefaces, one by the
| translator and one by the late Remy do
Gourmont. In his prospectus Mr.
Rodker wakes eloquent about the books
"infernal grandeur, monstrous and tor
tured pride and touching puerilty,"
and compares Lautreamont with Blake.
Some geniuses are little mad, but it
does not follow from this that every
madman is a genius. Lautreamont,
speaking in terms Of the racing stable,
appears to be by Dada out of the
Marquis de SADIE.
don't know why it is, but the critics
who impress themselves most heavily
upon the poor British public always
seem to write like schoolmasters or
police court magistrates suppose
their idea is to become sufficiently
'weighty" to qualify for M membership
of the Athenaum Club. Here is Mr..
Ellis Roberts, a prolific reviewer Of
the most arbitrary pedagogic type,
swooning in admiration before Mr..
Gosse. II have rarely met an essay"
he writes, "in which a second-rate au-
thor was put more decidedly or more
kindly in his proper place than Mr..
Gosse's essay on Erewhon Butler. with
its frank analysis Of Buffers irregular
penetration into character which is
Mr.. Gosse's polite way of saying that
the form idable and grabbed old bache-
lor was a born fool about people in
real life (though he could be of un-
canny, if unfriendly. perspicacity when
he was writing) and is figure rather
to be pitied than admired"
The picture conjured up of Mr. Gosse
(assisted by Mr.. Roberts) showing
Samuel Butler firmly but politely into
the seats of the second rate-wth pity
expressed in every feature Of their
countenances- surely enough to
make the shades ring with savos of
delighted laughter. "Stap me- might
observe the Ghost Of Chris Marlowe to
his friend Shakespeare, "if that isn't
the best joke I've heard for three CEN
turics!"
I'HE dullness Of Mr.. j. C. Squire
N London Mercury" is only eoualed
in degree by the fulsomc quality of the
praise accorded to it in the London
daily press. "Not in our time" bleats
"Thc Daily News" "has there been anv
other literary magazine of equal dis
tinction." OF course, it all depends on
the age of the writer and what he
means by "distnction." He may be too
young to remember the first year of
! The English Review" U9O9-rO). when