Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02
THE voLoA FALLS TO THE CASPIAN sKl

THE VOLGA FALLS TO THE CASPIAN SEA.
BY Boris Pilnyak. Translated from the
Russian By Charles Malamuth. New York:
Cosmopolitan Book Corporation.
DORIS PHNYAK'S high European standing
- as . novelist will serve him q good turn. NO
doubt, with this dincult novel Of Russian con-
tent. symbolic invention, therefore q second
remove from the warmeSt acceptance of most
readers. Moreover, the symbol rests upon o
foundation Of fact that is in itself indeter-
inmate and inconclusive. That fact Is Russia
IN process OF recreation. government Of
sOciali1ed industry being forcibly worked out
Of, centuries Of despotism for the overwhelm-
ing bulk Of It's people. ....-..
To give q picture, an allegory Of the stupen-
dOus experiment, Pflnyak makes use OF the
mighty Volga. This he turns over TO q body
of scientific engineers with orders to reverse
its course, the one followed by it since it first
sprang out Of the northern mountains Not
mere gesture, this, Implying nothing less than
an act Of God. Not at all that. Instead, O
very reasonable and busnesslike need to have
certain arid expanse irrigated and made
fruitful by the steady now Of the big stream.
So the huge dam Is built. The volga is brought
to heel, as It were. Towns rise on its banks near
mine or forest or fields Of potential production.
Factories are built at one and another Of the
points Of industrial promise. And the lives OF
thousands Of people, diverted also like the
stream itself from their accustomed channel,
individual new creation for each.
The story moves by way of these human re-
actions to surroundings and demands alien
as If, literally, . new world had been lifted from
the void and set IN space for their use. The old
Russian, Of every type, Is made to take O hand
at this new order. Domestic life, the place OF
woman In the new scheme, industry In its In
Vulnerable forms and control, politics, amuse-
mentS health and sanitation, the whole what
not of common life is here brought under the
new Soviet order. Not easy to follow. And this
no fault of the author. The readers informa-
ton about Russia is too sketchy too insecure, to
give standing room for any sort Of valid infor-
nation. The background of history Is also too
vague. And, maybe his confidence in the new
day needs buttressing before he is quite able
to follow in either understanding or sympathy
this greatest Of all world moves. Even when
this gigantic experiment Is set out by the lead
ing writer In Russia at the present time.
RARE EARTH. BY Frank Owen author Of
1.-THE Wind That Tramps the World" etc.
New York: The lantern Press.
CMPLY pass over to the hand of Frank Owen
- Chinaman and q spread of Chinese son.
He will do the rest. From such leaven Of In
spiration stories from any part Of the world
properly peopled and set on their various ways
win grow In spontaneous inventions Of pure art
that. so far, have not fallen below the mark Of
high beauty On this writer's part, and 81 joy
Gus reception by thousands Of readers.
This Is. primarily. the story Of Scotee Trent,
young veteran home from the war, blinded IN
battle. Despair, @'hopelessness, gloom these