The New York herald., 1922-11-19

or SIX Characters in Search of an
Author" gave this drama a world
wide vogue, PirandeIlo has produced -four
other plays C'Henry w." "And Ye Clothed
Me-" Man. Beast and Virtue" and THE
Imbecile'O. the last of which is a rework-
ing of a tale in The third volume of authors
general collection of 365 short stories
"Novelle per un Ammo" "a Story for Every
Day in the Year,. To his own tales Piran-
dello has returned for others of his most
famous plays: Just in Fun" for example
(Ma non una eosa serial Think II Over
Giacomino" (Pensaci. Giacomino), and
"Sicilian Lines Iumie di Sicilia): so
much so that Italian critics are loosely
inquiring whether this prolific author may
not be intending comedy "for every day
in the year"
The dramatization of prose works at any
rate, is on different plane in Italy from
the one it occupies in the United States
With us a successful novel is likely to
allure the theatrical producer. who en-
cages playwright and staging artist to CO.
operate in a purely industrial adventure
The most surprising mOnstrosities result
from this alliance of art and money MAX
ing. which has it's counterpart the world
over, in the field OF the movies, and to a
less obvious extent in the field of book
illustration. THE illustrated book is. OF
course. an aesthetic fallacy: save in such
cases as that of Hendriclz Van Loon. with
whom text and illustration proceed from
the same original vision). The italian
audience is. on the whole. too sophisti-
Gated to tolerate such artistic crimes.
Dramatizations. it insists. must be some
thing new and original having inde-
pendent status as art D'Annunzio's
Francesca" and ''Fedra." or BenelIi's re-
working OF a tale by Grazzini Gin "The
Jest') would be examples of this legiti-
mate exploitation of old themes
Very common, on the other hand. are
struggles, often lifelong. of an author with
a single subject, treated now with this
vehicle and now with that In Italy, the
most artistic of the European nations.
authors are inclined to attach an almost
mystical sanctity to the creations Of their
fancy (as any one win discover by trying
to adapt" oneD, broodlng over their
Characters, and with their characters. for
years and years. One thinks. in this con-
nectiOn, Of Salvatore di Giacomo. mas
ter OF three different FORMS" the sonnet
in NeapOlitan dialect, the "novella" in
Italian. and the drama, again in the Nea-
pOlitan tongue. One can read 40 voto'
(The Vow in all three-as a sonnet. as a
short story. and as play Zone of the best
too, as we feel. OF the old sentimental
stage); the Month of May co mese
marianO) in at least two. and his worlC
famous "Assunta Spina." also in all three
Something OF this aesthetic earnestnes:
land not the mere discovery that he car
make more money cut of plays that out ol
stOries) lies behind this new bent OF Piran
dello and il is important to ralize this
in approaching such play as the "Si,
ChaHacters." Otherwise the very compile,
SAVIOR Of this "diverting chaos"-a chao.
rigidly systematic and unifed-will escape
US
Tho six Characters in fact is drama
tization. or rather 1t depicts the drama. o.
the process of artistic creation. which ir
Its fundamental purpose. is a description
of reality But what is reality? Now. fol
thirty years. Pirandello has been a write
OF "nOvelle." a novelist. and the Ithliar
"novella" is compound OF situation anC
atmosphere" One can imagine the "situa
ton" as the nucleus OF all OF Pirandeloi