Evening star., 1935-02-24

creator Of Pecksniff-hypocritic I
think they are mistaken - Dickens
books offer proof OF q sensitiveness so
acute that it is impossible for us rea-
sonably to accept an accusation Of
cruel or dishonest character" This
extract shows the point o: view of M.
Maurois, that Of admiration for the
most popular of English writers and
Of Interpretation based almost entirely
on his works. That is justifiable for
the criticism Of his literary work. but
is hardly adequate for an estimate Of
his character, when there are so many
authentic details of his life.
Some of these details move M.
Maurois, in spite of his admiration,
to say: But there was plenty Of
selfishness and unfairness in Dickens
attitude. He had charm and kindli-
ness, but he was an egotist and highly.
strung . . To be novelists wife is
truly dreadful" And he admits that
the publication by Dickens in his own
paper of long account Of his difficult
ties with his wife was "in rather bad
taste" But he asks how detractors
can pass such stern Judgment on the
private lives Of departed heroes when
every one Of us experiences every day
the pitfalls of emotional and domestic
life" 1t is the old problem Of the at
tempt to make a complete hero OF a
favorite author, of trying to find his
personal life as fine as his work. Dow
den tried to solve the problem In his
Life Of Shelley" but did not succeed.
The problem is usually insolvable and
the antithesis between life and work
remains. In the case of Dickens 1t Is
particularly embarrassing, because of
the excessive sentiment in his works
for domestic joys and harmony, for
kindliness and unselfishness. But
Forster, who perhaps knew him better
than did any one else, long ago IN his
comprehensive biography revealed
that Dickens was not only self-cen-
tered, but was also lacking in finenesS
of feeling for others and in the funda-
mentals of good taste.
so BRIEF THE YEARS. BY Natalie
B. Sokoloff. New York: Dodd,
Mead & Co.
NATALIE soKoLoFF was one OF
the fortunate who were able to
escape from the Red Terror Of
Russia. Her father, of old military
stock, had decided to make his home
in the United States before the
Bolshevist revolution took place, but
with his family, had returned to
Moscow for a short stay in 1918,
when the Kerensky government was
briefly in power. They were caught
in the second revolution and re-
manned for year in Soviet Russia,
from which they escaped into Poland,
thanks to fathers truly CoSsack
courage" This novel, which she has
been writing for two years In New
York, is about a woman caught in
the Red Terror and finally its victim.
The story opens in the Moscow Of
Lenin, with Stain in the near back
ground. Both men appear in the
narrative and their pictures are
drawn from life, for Miss Sokoloff
has seen them both at close range.
and without the inadvertent aid Of
Stain she might not have escaped
from Russia.
Terror, misery, cruelty, sordidness,
/ despair, mark the course Of the mar
rative. The beautiful Zinaida loves
only one man, but Is forced to sub
nit to many, and at the hands Of
one of them. the Hawk, she meets
her death. The scene shifts from
Moscow to the territory Of the
Whites, to small villages and across
all Of Russia, and everywhere Is the
dreaded Ogpu, everywhere chaos. The
story is not, however, mere docu-
ment. The people are real, vital,
struggling and suffering human
beings. Zinaida is always at the
center Of the action. but equally well
delineated are her faithful COM
panion Mamie, the man she loves,
Audrey: the cold and brutal Hawk,
| Zaharov the Jew. Ismailov, chief of
the Ogpu. the girl Katya, the White
general, old Nine. Voronov. The vio-
lent. turbulent plot fairly rushes
along to its tragic climax, narrowing,
but never dull. This is Miss Sokoloff's
first novel, but she has written stories
and sketches for newspapers and
magazines, including several for Mus
solini's paper, Popolo dItalia.
-------s..---.-=