Evening star., 1928-01-29
Hardv Lived to See His Works Become Classics

Z has apparently given him place among
the Sreat English dySmatiSlS, Tor Il =
safe 10 saw that it WILL md readers for
maNV years 10 come.
In contradiStlnction ~ many aged
writer's who live long enough 10 survive
theie fame Hardy lived long enough 70
see his works become accepted anc ac-
knowlcGgCd classics. His masterpieces
IN prose Action The Return Of the Ma
tive" has its fiftieth anniversary his
wear; his first volume .! poems WAS pub
liShed exactly 80 Years ago. ana 'hs
first Volume cG The Dyna<tS' appeared
in 1904
IL. always tafter lS9S> wished ~ be
REGARDED as a post, not as a novelist :,
he insisted that his poems were better
than his prose and that they would live
longer,
II is possible tha; The DynaSI$" Will
live as long as anything he wrote, but Il
Is the novelist ws think q ArSt W0sN
his name is mentioned.
Had he never written y novel MS
poems would have won for him al audi
ence. but IL was fortunate for him tHa'
III, poems were published with the
tremendous prestige ot his name II
is true. rs he always insisted III later
wears that his career as \ poet, even
going only by actual publication. was
longer than his career AS novelist
lie published prose fiction sog IS wears
and poetry for nearly 80.
His poetry has enough quality ~ in
sure him place amoNs the l<NeiS ~ his
time, but suppose YOU had ~ cao~AS(
between Francis Thompson and halCy,
W between Alfred HouSman and HARDY,
W between Rudyard k.pling and hArdN,
which would yoa take HIS NNStfy Is
Interesting because II pgoceeced ftVm an
interesting mind hut III poetry, >'N'S
and expression age thS MAIN tnNns
There Is no doubt thai Ravdy'S mn3
was far more tntcfrStlns than the miho
NJ Alfred rennSSon but no one NJ
uardyS poems, intere<ttng, original ap~
pealing as 1t may be, Is equal IL beauty
oi expression IA ULYSSES,
II Still seems clear 10 me that HArrlN'S
novels are the most important patt AZ
his work. bu. ia order thar the cther
view max receive adequate eNpteS$kn,
tNming aS IL does teNn The highest lNNr
sihlc source, | will quote, with the most
prulo,lad respect aud appreciation, mum
a letter that Mis-, Aagdv Was Kind
enough Ia Write to me fSeflaI\ IL
la2N. IN which >he notes "Ehc curious
fact that American critics esStcw neSfN
theil Whole attention oa the raSi half
oI Mr, iiar>iy'S literary career Nslt,
lSaal and none on the second halg
tla9a~tasel Vet the Writings VI the
fteat hatt we're dictated ny accidents
aud circumstances not uNdeE his Nwn
ct,nts,,,, White those of the second halt
we've the result ri Wneeauollsd kseyS>Nn@
altN"
When one remembers What time has
dome 10 vrtEital ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ana
Judgments one IL g Naaula ee aume
hle Il Is, ot course p,ssSiale that Selne
centuries ttNm nov slaFdN MNl A'
knaWn chiefly As a INset, to-day one caN
express oniv pessSsAal nlese1enttNN, Ii
has always been thought a gSsad ANSWER
"a the haeon,an Iaaattr~ tAAt t4 one
man Ia write the Sf plaNS Mas marvel,
ouN, that saf another nsn ~ wglte the
ESSaNS was Mafsei,,uS hut thar tM tNaS
man 10 write both WaA mtSalees,ae3S,
II is ala emaksas tart III ont aWa tine
that the authA ri "tS~s "l>he Return
ot the Native "Far from the Maddlsts
lrAWd" The WoedlanterN, taa Au,hey
vi seven volumes el original Ngse>, and
tha authNt et FfhA hVnaStS" l. NlsS and
the ssme asn fhNnAs slsss(N