The New York herald., 1922-12-03

the author of the second act of "Parsifal."
1t is an unqualified pleasure to note
Just two books which are also self reveal
ing, but from different angle: Gabrielle
Reuters "Von Kindheit yum Menschen"
t''The Story of My Youth') and Professor
Friedrich Won der Leyen's "Deutsche Dich-
tung in Neuer Zeit" GA History of German
Literature since 1907. This one is the
autobiography of a great woman writer.
the other a reasoned, disciplined and sue
cessful attempt to evaluate contemporary
German thoughts.
Twenty-Five years ago. when the men
fGermany were giving a poor account
of themselves in letters. four women
published virtually their first novels:
Ricardo Huch, Isolde Kurz. Helene Bohlau
and Gabrielle Reuter-. The latters work
was entitled Aus gutter Familie" COZ
Good Family"). Gabrielle Reuter- took up
the question of the German girl, Of the
German woman. who has to. or at least
wishes to. make her own way. II was,
it is. one of the outstanding novels Of
Europe. This splendid autiography con-
tains the background of which the novel
grew. 1 read IT years ago; and have read
about it. But now 1 feel that / under
stand it And, incidentally Gabrielle Reuter-
tells us that she had first called it "Agathe
Heidling," the name of her heroine, but
John Henry Mackay persuaded her to
change the title to "Of Good Family" 1t
was also Mackay who read the work in
manuscript and persuaded S. Fischer of
Berlin to publish it,
But this is told in only a small chapter
in this book of 47e wholesome pages.
Gabrielle Reuter-she came from the same
Pomerania that produced the Pldttdeutsch
humorist Fritz Reuter- though the two are
in no way related-knew Ibsen and
Nietzsche and Paul Heyse personally, she
has known indeed everybody i'm Continental
Europe personally that is worth knowing,
and in the pages of this delectable self
revelation she has set down her impress
sions. If her creative works had ever
been made accessible to English readers,
how this autobiography would enlighten
and refresh, stimulate and educate our
own women writer's. And il might give
even our men writers something to ponder
over.
OF the many attempts to bring order
into the chaos of German letters during
the last two decades Won der Leyen's is
easily the one to be recommended IL the
recommendation is to be a service and
not puff AS books are printed in this
country. it would make about 500 pages.
There are no illustrations. very few BIZ
ographical data-those have been given
by Bartels and can be given by ony one
and unfortunately no index. To Offset
this. there are delusioDs Won der
Leyen had to overcome one supreme doubt
before he could make up his mind to
write this book: Us modern German litera-
ture worth the years Of study a book Of
this kind makes obligatory" He decided
that IL is. And then he set himself a
threefold task: the weighing Of German
literature for its own sake and as Judged
by its own standards. as viewed ~ its
enemies. and az a INSTALLATION of the tao
decades II covers. To accomplish this task
he found Il necessary % pay considerable
attention 10 non-German writers. o. sx-
plain a number of hish sounding move
ments. 10 devote special chapters % four
leaders: Nietzsche stefan George. Richard
I Dehmel and Hauptmaun. % omit much.
condemn much. and lssd much Ard when
he is about through ne says that Ger
man literature is not anite - chaotic. I'M
penetrahle. anarchlssie ard confused as q
seems" This Is true. provided you have
mastered Won der Ieyen.
What a boon g. cur own readers ard
fhosr of Great Rrffaln a. aaaarafa trans