New-York tribune., 1922-08-13
London News Letter
BY Douglas Goldring

BY Dougls
n s really no use trying 90 take o
serious interest in current litera-
ture a. this time OF year Half
the London publishers are prarc-
ing over Europe with their wives and
families. our poets are walking up ard
down the Charinc Gross Road with
Baedckcrs In their hands and birds n
their bonnets: the years best sellers
are being launched: silly season topics
fll the newspapers. This Freedom. '
A. s. ". Hutchinson's new record
breaker. has come as godsend TO our
harrassed journalists. For some rca-
son or other Hutcninson's novels goad
people into writing 20 the press. The
correspondence about "lf Winter
Comes has hardly yet begun 10 die
down. In the current number O. one o.
the smaller literary weekhes there are
no less than four letters about the book
three Of them condemning 10 800 10
measured terms. one indignant gentle
man calls il "a Hat. Improbable ana
insipid BOOK another says that 1T
is full Of characters that could never
have existed except in the imagination
of the author. The book is ridiculous,
morbid and monotOnous. and that the
public should like 10 proves once again
that books which the mob read should
be left alone bv lovers OF fine litera-
ture." The reviewers Of This Free
dom" Will. ! imagine. range themselV'e,s,
irto opposite camps. The Times Will
smitc IL. and the "Daily Telegraph
will purr. An u through the holiday
season the M lbcrs Of the public VIII
provide their .ayorite newspapers with
columns Of free copy about It's merit
or defects. II IS all very nice Tor A.
$. VI. Hutchinson. and terribly tedious
for everybody else.
Those VINO remember an historical
novel by Mrs Margaret J.. " oods called
- thcr Nanhcmrigh. puolshed ABOUT
twenty wears ago. will be giad 10 near
that this writer has just compile q
new story called "A Poets Youth OF
which William Wordsworth is the nero.
The scene is laid in The France OF ~
and the heroine is Mare-Anne Falon'
who inspired the one romantic PASSION
in Wordsworth's life, and b. whom ne
had a daughter. IL is only quite re-
Gently. owing 10 Mr.. Harpers TO-
ssarcbcs In the British Museum. that
the bare facts Of this EPISODE .lh
Wordsworth's early life have been
bropght 10 iicht. Mrs Woods. with
her wonderful historical Imagination
NAV be trusted 90 clothe them win
color and romance
Tho b,on, iu the snort story ln tals
courtrv. which prophesied 90 these
coinmns several weeks ago, is now 30
fnn swing Georgian stories. ne
Ncw Decameron." /. A. Bunin's The
ccn,leman From San francisco and
/ NJ cackville Wcst's volume. The
Ucir " arc ali selling briskly and being
.,~cb discussed some OF our best
,,,r,.ers are now turning their atteniio on
80 .bc ebort story: but the greet prac-
,ic,l difficulty which .mpcdes the de-
,.efo,roent Of this branch Of literature
;n England is. in fact. that our popular
reca1,nes positively decline 20 piin'
anytbinr which has the faintest itcf-
49, Interest n the short rtorie' We
want are TO be written, somebody Wli,
Lsve 10 start a paper which VIII PRINT
and pay for them.
Mr. Harold Monro. tEe proprietor OF
the Poetry Bookshop. IN bioomsoely =
and editor OF "The Chapboos' H1
made an amusing number OF ms P'
riodical out Of the answers OF "Oo1'
twentv-seven writers 10 thffe 9ees
,;ors which he put 10 them regarding z
the necessity. the function aAu ."e
forn, Of poetry. The questions are as
foiIows. ~ Do you think that poetry
;g necessity 10 modern man -
Wba4 in modern life IS the partieu lar
function Of poetry as dl4tin s'iS \. u u
from other kinds Of literature l"J 10
you think there is any chance oi verse
bein0 eventually displaced by prose as
narrative poetry apparently - Delhs
bv the novel. and ballads already nave
feen BY newspaper reports ne an
swers-serious. fippant or futile are
sor the most part delightfully."- eharae-
,eristie OF their writers. In reply 10
tie third query ". II. Davies writes:
"No don't think there IS the least
chance Of poetry being displaced oy
,.rose. unless the prose writers become
Greater and the poets become weaker.
The greatest danger 70 poetry - i
veii damn II allan alarming increase
IN tho number OF bad poetsl' PROBES
sor Gilbert Murray replied in inree
lines. on a postcard Dir. Robert DraNes
wrote longish essay. Ezra Pound an an
swered question one by saying 80,
Neither Is modern man a necessity
and question three with another mega
tive. But" he adds. with Bottomiey
iailed. with that very paragon q kng-
land. that compendium Of al the ages
tastes and virtues, Jugged' imprisonese., 2.
..1in, aha. ran these things matter