The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-21
BY GRANVILLE HICKS

ny MEANWHILE NUNS
With this issue 1.-THE Anvil" shows
its potentialities as a magazine of
proletarian literature. Erskine Cald-
wells Daughter" is the best story
1.-THE Anvip' has thus far published.
It is also story that promises well
for the authors future. What strikes
one as the distinguishing virtue in
all Erssine CaldwelFs work is his
respect, rather surprising but unnlis-
taxable and genuine, for the people
he writes about. Though his charac-
tiers are often almost fantastic in
their lust, their passivity, or their
ignorance, he never shows either the
scorn of the average bourgeois writer
or the fear and hatred of William
Faulkner. This respect, which rests
10th on insight into the people them
selves and knowledge of the forces
that have made them what they are,
is something a young author can
build on. And now, If one can Judge
from Daughter Caldwell's atten-
ton is turning away from the biz
zarre and the pathetic in the actions
Of these people, and he is finding
evidences of new aims and new at
titudes. This is hopeful, for few of
our young writers are as well
equipped as he to depict the awaken
ing OF the common people. We have,
for example, had many stories of
men who killed starving members of
their families, but have read none
that made the act SO credible as
Daughter" does. The simple repiti-
ton of the refrain about daughters
waking up and saying she is hungry,
irresistibly drums into the readers
mind. Daughter" is not, of course,
story Of the class-eonscious pro-
ietariat, but in depicting the Jail
delivery of Jim it does portray the
kind of militancy in which, once
planted, the seeds of class conscious
ness will grow.
Joseph Kaler's Funeral" also deals
with what might be called pre-class-
conscious militaney. Though he can
not secure his effects with Caldwell's
simple strikes, Kalar does create the
atmosphere of the coal fields and
does suggest the terrible bitterness
Of the miners. Louis Mamet. too,
in 1.-THE Pension" which rounds out
his story in the preceding issue
evokes credible workers. He is not
quite sure enough in writing dialogue
to rely on it SO heavily, but his char
acters do take on definite shape. 1t
is interesting to compare any one of
these three stories with Helen Kop-
pell's "Out of the Holes" the one
story in this issue that deals with the
revolutionary movement as such.
Here we have an account of worker
who, after a long and fruitless search
for job, finally discovers the I'm
employed Councils with their slogan,
Don't Starve! Fight" The trouble
seems to be that the author. in order
to set forth Steve's awakening, has
to condense the various stages of
his development so much that Moth
ing really sticks in the consciousness
of the reader. Obviously the success
Of Caldwell and Kalar or even the
relative success of Mamet is better
than this kind Of failure. John c.
Rogers Call 1t Love-" which touches
the fringe of the revolutionary move
ment, is also a failure, but this seems
to be because he is confused about
both his characters and his situation.
] have emphasized the stories that
1eal with the workingclass, but there
are also the stories Of petty bour-
seois decline. Eugene Joffe's I'm
Season" is neat, but merely q sketch.
Paul r, Corey's "A Good Recon-
nlendation" is carefully planned and
obviously authentic. but, as is often
true Of such stories, it lacks force.
Joseph Vogel's IAN Interview with
Domino Bashfield," though at NOM
crts effective. is less biting than good
satire ought to be; like vogel's stories
in the two issues OF 'Blast," 1t is less
richly developed than the theme de-
mands.
The best Of the poems Is Henry
George Weiss's ITO the Soviet Union"
not quite so good as his poem in
the last issue, but strong in the same