The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-07

New York, 4se Sixth Ave, New
York CITY. "a pages Price 20
cents.
Reviewed by KENNETH FEARING
WITH its second issue Partisan
W Review, magazine Of the John
Reed Club Of New York, firmly es-
tsblshes its Importance to revolu-
tionary literature and proves again
its vitality in the dead, meaningless
world Of the commercial press.
Like the first issue. the present
number divides itself almost equally
between fiction, criticism. and
poetry, Leon Dennen contributes a
particularly terse and dynamic story
in "The Death Of a German Sea-
man." Almost tabloid in form, its
manner Of presentation becomes
identical with its substance - the
life and soul OF sailor, enigmatic
and even ludicrous until the reve-
lation Of his death at the hand Of
Hamburg Nazis-a compact presen-
tation that is revolutionary through
fact and detail.
The fragment of a novel by
Isidor Schneider, Theodore RoOse-
welt Hyman," is also, in addition
to its richness of character and the
promise of wide range in the COM
pleted book, a demonstration that
writer's are becoming more and more
acclimsted, thoroughly at ease, in
the Use and not merely the ac-
| ceptance of revolutionary theology.
Queen City of the Adiroudaeks"
by Sender Garlin is an excellent
Renaissance of the writer's boyhood
in a small industrial town, the dry
wit and simplicity of the memories
filled with warm and pointed i'm
plications, not only Of the past, but
the present. THE Socialist Band
was quite help to us in our work
. &. A lot of fellows around town
even joined the Socialist local to
get free lessons on the trombone
i or the cornet When we forced
the Common Council to give our
Socialist band four of those con-
certS, the folks in the local thought
it proved what could be done when
people stood up on their hind legs
and demanded their rights as
citizens. But when summer came
we were in a jam, because our Soci-
alist band could play only the
Albania. Glib Wendell, our band
master, had to hire the men in the
Elks Band to play for us"
Title Lerner, contributing 1.-THE
Iron Threat" another story that is
part Of projected novel, is a
twenty-one year old Nebraskan
and member of the Young Com
munist League. Her prose is highly
Neutrality-suspicious. too much So
at times-but the blend Of factual-
ism and fantasy is arresting, and
usually powerful
Poems by Fanya Fess, Alfred
Hayes, and Philip Rahv are out
standing representations of the diff
ferent trends in todays revolution
airy poetry. Finished in themselves,
they also, with the work of others.
provide sound basis for the poetry
Of the future. Hayes ITO Otto
Bauer" stanza of which follows
is especially effective, demonstrating
q strong and flexible talent:
Listen. Beyond the watztine river
the city glows
Ascend your ministerial balcony
again
Apologize to all these gentlemen
The shOpkeepers forced to shut
their shops four days
The ruined business In tire street
cafes
Fer ladyship disturbed the maid In
tears
Assure her she can wear her jeweIry
tonight
Then right the chair and calm the
chandeliers.
Behind the last of windows the last
sniper fails
The trolleys run the provinces sub
dued new order reigns
Except for that routine the dark
night hides
The quick and mHffIed hangfnss in
the prison yards
And here-the burials with black
holes through their brains.
In the field of criticism 'sProna-
ganda or Partisanship" by Georp
Lukacs, clearly translated by
Leonard F. Minis, Is a thorough and
exacttng analysis of the conceu-
lions held at various times of the
nature OF propaganda" as opposed
to pure" art. The article. expos
ing the cause of the weakness that
has for some time been apparent in
much revolutionary literature. can
not be ignored by any writer.
Shorter book notes in Partisan
Review are no less precise, notably
Wallace Phelps x-ray Of T. s.
Eliot's critical mythology.