New-York tribune., 1922-07-23

! LHomme Traque" by Fran
L. els CARGO. One must have
read Carco's novels to appre
clate the astonishment which swept
oyer oyer the literary world of Paris al
TINS announcement. 1t is not many
years since the Academy repulsed Zola
with the charge that he had degraded
humanity in his novels; to-day it pins
rose on the historiographe of pan
oers and public women, Of the under
world and its perversions.
really, 1t requires something of an
effort to free ones self Of the idea that
the Academy is the protector OF
prudery and Of "idees bien pensantes. y
ror myself, l cannot regret the shock.
DO you see the American Academy
Irowning, ,,a" say, Susan Lennox"? 1t
Ma,,r,.o Mns Paul n Bourget, supported by
Maurlce Barres, who presented CARGO
Ior n,.,i the prize. Can you picture D. G.
phllllpa introduced into the august
Senate of American learning fanked
by Henry James and W. D. Howells ?
1t IS a fair parallel.
though not more deserving than q
haif dozen other young novelist, CARGO
merits prize. He has great deal of
talent for the kind of writing done eo
perfectly by CharlessLouis Phillips.
from whom, undoubtedly, he learne d
a great deal. His books, like
Phillppc's "Bubu de Montparnasse'
and Marie Donadieu," give off the
atmosphere Of the rainy nights and
ghstenlng, wet pavements of Paris.
uenderiy and patiently, they expose
the miserable souls Of those pauvres
pougrIes, the pander, the syphilitic
iaundress,,, the pervert, the slouching
gunman, the prostitute, the impecunious
student from the provinces.
CARGO wrote an extraordinary novel
IN Jesus la Cattle" the most success
ful story Of the Montmartre apache
and, except for it's argot, the most
readable one, I know. This. with his
Scenes de la vie de Montmartre" and
L'Equtpe," Is far better work than
.LHomme Traque." The latter is
feeble Dostoievski; It is the rewriting
OF a story done for all time in "Crime
and Punishment" But judge of if
yourself. ~
A baker Is haunted by the idea Of q
crime One night he left the cellar
where, solitary and taciturn, he worked
before his oven, and was zone about @
twenty minutes-long enough to stran-
gle and rob a concierge of the quarter
Back in his cellar again, he saw a
strlng hanging from an air hole in the
sidewalk above and a few sous on the
ground. Mechanically he attached a
piece of bread to the string and picked
up the coins. A little later an IN
known hand pulled up the bread and
Iurtlve steps hurried away in the night
| mus far nothing extraordinary. Tramps
OF poth sexes happen along every eve
inlng TO assuage their hunger with a
huge piece OF hot bread. But the baker
was nervous. Some one had come dur
| ing his absence, had called and called
again, gone away and returned. Some
one knew Of his absence during those
twenty minutes. Who was it?
The crime was discovered. A week
passed ard one night prostitute came
down to his caller. They looked at
one another, she and the baker, with
a. common understanding. She knew
his secret and she knew that he knew
or her knowledge. An irresistible at
traction thus draws them together
| Their secret holds them and gnaws
them. Each lives in terror of the other,
Their dialogue is vague, dark, incoher-
ent and filled with leaden silences,
| Ihey live an internal life speaking
only of the thing" without precision
ne denying in shadowy phrases, she
af1rmlng as vaguely that the accusa-
| tloh was not In her mind. Their
dreams are haunted by frightful vi
sions. She has returned out of curios-
| lty; it deepens into pity, and when she
! tries to share his burden he repulses
her with denial. Finally, revolted by
his distrust, she leaves him. They re-
turn one day simultaneously to the
scene of the crime and are taken by
the police.
Thus the tale. 1t is excellently done.
CARGO moves among these monstros-
ties (here as in other novels) with few
flaws of taste, without fatigue and with
splendid impudeur. Petronius would
have delighted in the clarity with