Evening star., 1935-01-23
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
VIA MALA. BY John Knittel. New
York: Frederick A. Stokes Co.
Margaret CeTmond.

VIA MALA. BY John Knittel. New
York: Frederick A. Stokes Co.
As massive as the mountains In
which the scene Is laid Is this story
Of the family LauretZ, descendant
from a Napoleonic captain OF noble
birth who fell Ill with fever and re-
manned in the care of the kindly
Benedictines Of the Monastery OF
Andruss when his regiment passed
through the Canton Of the Grisons In
1899. High up in the Yzolla district
In one Of the side valleys Of the Via
Mala this amiable and persuasive
gentleman had taken possessi IN Of a
property belonging to the Benedictines.
to the Ill rather than to the good luck
\ of the canton, and there Lauretzes
came into being through succeeding
generations until Jonas LauretZ, the
dominant character Of this impressive
novel, had become the master Of the
property.
| A saw-miller by profession, a
drunkard by habit and blasphemer
by choice, Jonas Lauretz was guilty
of every physical and moral crime
which human being has the will and
the ability to commit. His wife was
warped, bent and lame as result of
blows and abuses dealt In outbursts Of
his violent temper. OF the six chill
dren born Of his marriage, four bore
the marks Of his brutality. NiclauS,
his oldest son, he had crippled for life
with an ak. The body of Hanna
bore a ghastly scar where the flesh
had been torn away. Sylvelie, whose
beauty and saintliness infuriated him,
carried a useless arm resulting from
blow that had paralyzed the con-
trolling nerves. Mannli, the youngest
living, had been born an idiot. The
twins he had murdered in their in
fancy by stripping the clothes from
their bodies and bed and opening a
window on them in below-zero wealth
er. No form of debauchery was un-
known to him.
An unlovely picture of man is this
description Of Jonas LauretZ. More
horrible still would be his selection
as the dominant character of a novel
II his presentation had been under
taken by a craftsman less masterful
than John Knittel. With the majestic
peaks of Switzerland as background,
he has written a story that rivals in
the vastneSs Of its depths and heights
Of human emotions the magnificence
Of its setting.
The crushing misery of loneliness Is
| the share of the LauretZ family, lone
illness born Of the isolation which pow
| erty, despair and the disgrace of a
| bestial husband and father bring
| to the unfortunate victims of such
circumstances. 1t is in the depths
of such hopeless loneliness that the
sparks of resentment are famed into
flames of passionate hatred against
the master of the house on the Via
Mala, who forces his son to slave from
dawn until darkness makes work i'm
possible. Hanna and Sylvelie both
| work, the latter in hospice during
tourist seasons.
Good fortune eventually comes to
| Sylvelie through her services as wait
| ress and maid Of all work at the hos
! pice, for it is there that she makes the
| acquaintance of two men whose in
| fiuence brings about extraordinary
changes in the lives Of the LauretzeS.
Matthias Lauters, a famous painter
who lives in a chalet high up in the
Yzolla Valley during the Summer
months, finds in this child of the
mountains the simplicity of spiritual
beauty and inspiration which in the
long span of his life he has failed to
find in others. Under his guidance
she receives her initiation into the
magic world of literature, art and
philosophy.
During the Summer maneuverS held
| in the Yzolla Valley group OF men
stop at the hospice for wine. Among
them is the son Of an influential
wealthy and exclusive family. He is
attracted by the ethereal beauty Of
Sylvelie LauretZ. but promptly forgets
her until he finds her working in an
other inn some months later. The
attraction deepenS and he sees her
frequently They fall in love and
against her wishes they marry. He
knows but little of her family, under
stands her reluctance to talk about the
hardshipS of her life and is confident
that however horrible the circum-
stances of her family life might have
been, his love is great enough to ac-
cept it.
And in the meantime events of ap-
palling magnitude have been taking
place on the Via Mala. Pride, loyalty,
fear and love battle in Sylvelie's heart
for supremacy. If the SageS and
philosophers and those of lesser intellect
to whom humanity entrusts its moral
and spiritual guidance were honest
teachers of the truths of life, how
much simpler would be the answers
to so many vital problems? If all
of the fanciful embroidery about the
supremacy Of love were discarded and
the simple fact that fear is the most
compelling of all human emotions
were frankly acknowledged, would not
love be given thereby a far greater
value, with stronger foundation for
understanding than the existing
theory permits.
Fear and loyalty sealed Sylvelie's lips
against a truth that might have
brought less unhappiness to many
people. But who would not withhold
a truth if love were in the balance?
Few loves are great enough to survive
the shattering of pride. She knows
that her love is deep enough to
accept any lot which fate might de-
cree for her, but is Andi's also of
that nature? Life has been kind to
this son of culture and wealth, who
loves and respects the peasants of his
native land. Fine and strong he is
in character as well as in stature.
He, too, is destined to become ac-
quainted with stark despair when in
his official capacity he must uphold
the trust of public Office and pass
Judgment upon the family of Jonas
Lauretz.
via Mala" is big novel, done in
big way. 1t is a reminder of
Dickens in the strength of its char
acter portrayals, and a reminder Of
Ibsen in the vivid intensity of its
action. 1t is powerful, dramatic and
| Il,