Evening star., 1935-11-17

414S11, ACV h1NO WAbE Sk Gi2N' ~
r. Francis James. New York: TIE
Macaulay Co.
promptly became q best seller. Here
We have a work on the personalities
of the Russian ballet which takes
sharp issue with much that Nine.
Nijinsky wrote. This book, the
biography of Diaghileff. the great i'm
presario. has been prepared after ex-
tensive research, Walter Nouvel the
collaborater, having been Diaghilefi's
life long friend. It is less intense
and personal than the Nijinsky book.
and undoubtedly should be Of great
interest to the public that enjoys fol.
lowing the puppets behind the scenes.
Diaghileff, say the publishers. was
"a master painter who never painted,
q master musician who neither wrote
nor played, a master dancer who
never stepped before the footlights or
devised the steps Of q ballet" His
life, however, affected the lives Of the
greatest ballet artists and bore pro-
found influence on the ballet itself.
His story, therefore, Is more than the
story Of one man. Duncan. Stravinsky,
Bakst, Fokine, Scriabine-these are
some Of the names centering about
his.
OF particular interest to lovers OF
modern ballet will be the closing
chapters of this book, for they deal
with the present leaders of the Monte
Carlo company. The volume Is illus
trated in photogravure and some Of
the pictures are published here for
the first time. A list of ballets also
adds to the international value OF
the book.
TO THE BALLETl BY Irving Deakin.
New York: Dodge Publishing Co.
THIS book Is . brief and highly in.
formative text on the ballet. writ.
ten by a critic who has long been
associated with foremost dancers and
impresarios. It contains information
which many people who enjoy the
spectacle Of the dance lack-explana-
ton Of terms, the origin and story Of
the famous ballets, the status Of the
ballet today and 50 on. |
It is dedicated jointly to Diashileff |
and to Massine and has . foreword
by John Van Druten and . preface
by s. Horok. It also includes photo |
graphs Of famous ballet personalities. |
It seems to be designed as q popular |
text and, one would say, will serve
the purpose very well.
THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW. |
By Marguerite Harrison. New
York: Farrar g. Rinehart.
THIS is the story Of the authors life |
and, as q life, it undoubtedly has |
been colorful enough to merit telling. |
Mrs. Harrison, with more truth than |
art, calls it "checkered." It includes |
newspaper work in America and Eu-
rope, secret service duty. imprisonment |
In Russia. with q narrow escape from |
being shot as spy, and taking part |
in the expedition in Persia which made |
the great motion picture Grass" It
includes these as main outline. |
Minor experiences, no less colorful |
and dangerous, stud its days. One can
safely say that this American woman,
in her expectation of Tomorrow"
never knew q dull moment. /
And that probably Is Just what Mrs
Harrison herself would say, for she
writes generally in cheerful, artless
manner. With all the sweep and hor-
ror Of her story. she remains matter |
Of fact. One comes to the conclusion |
that she had an eye that missed Moth
ing and mind that forgot, nothing,
but that she ceased to have much care
for perspective, probably because of
the crowding Of her days. She puts
everything In. She hastens on. And
the general effect Of her book Is that
OF riding a roller coaster through q
museum. The only thing she lacked,
apparently, was point Of view.
Well, no one can have everything.
Socrates was able to puzzle worlds
without going beyond the environs Of
Athens. Mrs. Harrison. apparently,
has been able to travel pretty gener.
ously over the world without puzzling |
even herself. It all depends on the
readers taste. II that taste Is for
action and more action, and then still
more. with an intense visual sensi-
bility. then let Socrates 60 In the
discard. We are content to leave It
at that.
REVOLT ON THE CAMPUS. BY
James Wechsler. New York: Covci
Friede.. 49,. ...'. =. i.
THIS indignant work examines our
institutions OF higher learning
from the point Of view Of their lack
Of liberalism and sums up very severe.
ly indeed. Colleges, the author tells
us, will have to change greatly n
they are to have the respect Of the
coming generations. ToryiSm, he says,
as represented by our undergraduate
schools, will have to 60.
It Is a point Of view, certainly.
There seems to be no particular harm
in it. --.@r 49,,
MULES, AND MEN. BY Fora Neale
Hurston. Philadelphia: J. B. Lip.
pincott Company.
THIS is. another book Of Negro
folk lore" but among the mul-
tiplicity Of these works this one has
the distinction Of being written By
. Negress. It has . foreward by DR..
Franz Boas, which praises highly its
authenticity and value. Pure curl
osity impelled the reviewer to ask the
opinion upon 1t Of several Negroes
simple people who as yet do not sus-
/