The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-10
A New Volume of Outstanding
Stories by Erskine Caldwell
eve Are The Living" Shows Marked Advance
Over Authors Previous Novels and Stories

the Living The warmth Of life is in
this book-In the love story Of
/ Warm River" in the story OF adol-
eScence in Indian Summer" In the
tragedy OF The First Autumn.
These stories reveal Caldwell as
master Of the softer emotions as well
sG the hsrsher ones.
But his comic gifts are also dis
played in this book-in the story Of
the cautious "Varmcnt" farmer in
over the Green Mountains in
The Medicine Man" which sounds
like a take-off Of burlesque show,
and in several others. One story, THE
Peoples Choice" shows Csldweu's
aptitude for rollicking satire with so
cial implications. The manner ia
which he pokes fun at rural politics
and religion in this story shows that
he possesses sharp weapon that
could do plenty Of damage to sacred
bourgeois customs in this country.
Fewer Sex Themes
Another advance in Caldwells wurss
is indicated in this book by his So
lection Of fewer sex themes. His pre-
occupation with this subject ruined
some Of the best sections OF his now
els, Tobacco Road" and Gods Lats
tie Acre"
This new book also shows Caios
wells development as literary
craftsman The stories in I'VE Are this
Living are far superior from tech.
nical point of view to his first COLI
lection, American Earth" In I'VE
Are the Living" Caldwell displays his
mastery Of the brief story-the only
form Of fiction which he has ham
died skilfully UP to the present time.
With a few quick strokes he presents
& complete picture. His method OF
adapting his narrative manner to the
mood Of his story also represents ons
Of his noteworthy achievements. Ex-
amples like I'VE Are Looking at You,
Agnes" "After-Image" and Country
Full of Swedes," exhibit these abili~
ties.
The stories in I'VE Are the Living
are still chiefly character sketches of
people who are untouched by the
spark of revolution. Most of them are
Isolated individuals in backward
rural communities. These are the
people that Caldwell knows best. He
cannot describe them as revolution
airy, he seems to protest, until they
become revolutionary themselves. Yet
even these people and their way of
life reflect the disintegration Of CAPT.
talisn. What Caldwell lacks is the
social searohlight which will illu11i-
nate what lie still does not see in the
life around him, the beacon which
will focus his attention upon basic
things that still remain in the dark
to him af
And II he would Ike to write about
people who are already revolution
airy, Caldwell should draw close to
the struggles OF the fighting ele-
ments Of tho working class in this
country-Co the industrial centers
and the wheat belt, where class bat
ties are flaring up every day.
One story in 1--WE Are the, Living
shows that Caldwell is travelling Ia
the right direction. Rachel" Ia a
moving story Of the city poor who
feed upon garbage (although the
realism Of the story seems a biz
stretched. And in another sketch,
entitled SLOW Death"-which aps
peared in the New Masses and which
is not included in this volume
Caldwell seems to be striding forward
along the leftward path.