Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-31
THE LIBRARY TABLE
Nv The BJOkl0cer

Readers Of biographies, OF whom the
Booklover Is one, have delighted in the
publication during the last few years
of an increasing number of volumes Of
an essentially new type of biography
Under the title THE Modern Biogra-
pher," Andre Maurois, ono OF the fore
most practitioners of this school, writes
Of his art in the January number nf
the Yale Review. The typical Older
biography was frequently long and
ponderoiis, was often written to order,
usually had great respect for the pro-
prietics and either omitted all mention
of the follies, mistakes and scandals
connected with the life of the character
treated or vaguely alluded to them, per-
haps to brush the charges aside Ac-
cording to Maurois the older biogra-
pher was a hero-w orshiper and de-
scribed mask rather than the man
behind It, Maurois says that by COM
mon agreement Lytton Strachey IS con-
sidered the father and master OF mod
ern biography" and that he is "a hero
wrecker or idol-breaker." The new
biography differs in both purpose and ~
method from the old biography. In
some cases, says Maurois. such biog-
raphers work from the motives OF
Strachey reaction to the old or from
The motives OF self-expression (Which
he attributes to HIMSELF. but all such
modern biographers have one thing
In common: that Is their refusal to
paint masks their desire to get to the
real man" The method Of the new BIZ
ographer is ito build a work of art.
According to Maurois the old type OF
long. we'll docurnented biography was
Unreliable for the average man, and
certainly not work Of art; also no
body believes in it." He conceives OF
himself as a portrait painter. He
must not invent anything. but his art
Is to forget. If he has at his disposal
200 letters and long diary. he must
know how to extract the few sentences
that will convey general impression.
Some notable examples Of the new
biography. for the most part mentioned
by NJ Maurois. include the following
Lytton Strachey's Eminent victorianS
and Queen Victoria: Harold NicFol-
sons Byron. the Last Journey: Philip
Guedalla's Fathers of the Revolution
and "Palmerston' Emil Ludwig's ''Kai-
ser wilhelm II" Goethe. Napoleon"
and Bismarck: Shane Leslie's
George the Fourth" and Maurois'
own Ariel the Life OF Shelley;
'Mape the World of Illusion" and his
'Disraeli." now appearing serially Il.
the Forum, but shortly to be published
in book form Readers of this column
would also b. interested in the brief
article entitled This Manifold Maui
rois." by John Bakeless, in the indie
pendent of December II. To the fore
going list of new piographers cited
by NJ. Maurois. all English or foreign.
Mr. Bakeless adds the name OF our own
Camaliel Bradford. author of Bal
souls" DAMAGED Souls" Union Por-
traits" Wives. Darwin" and severa!
other books of biography written &C
cording 10 the same method.
The 1927 Harper prize of $4,000 has
been awarded by the Judges. John Err
skine Carl Van Doren and Jesse Lynch
williams TO Glenway Wescott for Ms
novel "The Grandnothers" The twn
previous awards were 20 Margaret VII
son for THE Able Mclaughlin" and
n Anne parrish for THE Perennial
Bachelor" Like the former OF thesA.
1.-THE Grandmothers has the Middle
West as a background The Tov',r
family OF It0pe's Corner. Wis. arc the
actors and their history. none too
cheerful. is narrated by ALVIN Tower
The members Of the family are 81
numerous and the vicissitudes OF their
lives are told with such detail and such
realism that The Grandmother" falls
in the same class With such biz novels
as Galsworshy's ''Forsyte Saga G. r.
Sterns The Mstriarch," Thomas
Mann's "Buddcnbrooks, and Kathleen
Norris Certain People OF Importance
England the Medieval was more
yputhfully romantic than England the
Modern and as vigorous. II appeals norr
to the mind Of Hilaire Belize. who
has written "A History of England
Volume II. Catholic England; the
Early Middle Ages AID. lo6s-i34S
In 1865 william the Conqusror crossed
the English Channel from Normandy.
landed in southern England, and fought
the battle OF Hastings. That was
merely the beginning of the fusion Of
French and Anaio-Saxon cultures
william munificentiy bestowed choice
lands upon his Norman followers. who
hecame the founders OF English mole
houses The fusion of races was fur~
Their aided when William Rufus. IN
iio6, conquered his brother Robert Of
Normandy. Thereafter for centuries
English and French houses were closely
knit by relationship and England
fought 10 serurc or 20 hold French ter
ritory. Richard Occur de Lion. herr
OF the Crusades and of his English sub
iects. was more French than English
King John Inst French territory as well
az much Of his rnvnl power in ENGLAND
Henry v fought the hattie Of A1tncourt
"a hask
weak successor Henry VI. lost valuable
French provinces With the wars of
The fifteenth century, In which Joan
Of Arc led the French trooDs TO victory,
England was finally compelled In resign
her claims TO French soil. but the
French influence upon English life and
literature remained permanent factor
in EnaiiSh history, This factor eSpe~
ciailv interests Mr.. Belize The powes
of the napacv In medieval England -
throughout medieval Europe, which
manned great until the Protestant Rev.
luton. In spitc OF the lone STRUGGLE
between popcs and kinrS is another
phase OF the history OF this period
which Mr.. Belioc treats with especial
knowledge and enthusiasm.
Two recent books by Italians which
have been translated into English, deal
with fasciSm~~"rhe Fascist Dictator
ship In Italy" by Gaetano Sa|vemint
former professor Of history at the Unit
versity Of Florence, and "fHasc!Sm," oV
Giuseppe PresEoiini Prof SaNem,n
Ia a hitter critic Of fascism. which he
says was thrust upon Italy after the
danger Of postwar bolsheNiSm Was
practically past pressoltni atSes his
tory Of the Fascist movement, with no
tdealtxat'on but with credit for th~ re"
forms II has accumulated Both
writers agree about fundamentals
=
A much less interesting and realistic
nnltical novel than Arnold BNnnett'~
Lord Raineo" IA stephen Mckenna'S